- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
In a two-hour program, Thorp will share his extensive knowledge of bees and discuss their role as pollinators, providing food and shelter for all living things, a spokesperson said. Interested attendees will be able to learn how to create bee-friendly habitats that support colony growth.
Thorp co-authored the newly published California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists with Gordon Frankie, Rollin Coville and Barbara Ertter.
Admission is free and no reservations are required. However, space is limited and those planning to attend should arrive early to get a seat.
Thorp, a faculty member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology (now the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology) from 1964 to 1994, was named the recipient of the distinguished emeriti professor award on Jan. 12 for his scholarly work and service since his retirement. He is a state, national and global authority on pollination ecology, ecology and systematics of honey bees, bumble bees, vernal pool bees, conservation of bees, contribution of native bees to crop pollination, and bees of urban gardens and agricultural landscapes.
Rush Ranch is about 2-1/4 miles south of Highway 12, at 3521 Grizzly Island Road in Suisun City. Directions and a map may be found at www.rushranch.net or at www.solanolandtrust.org. For more information, call (707)422-4491 or (707) 432-0150.
Rush Ranch, a 2,070-acre open space area, is bordered on one side by the Suisun Marsh, a vital component of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. The property was purchased by the Solano Land Trust in 1988 with a grant from the California Coastal Conservancy.