From the UC Blogosphere...

Hop to It!

What's that hopping on our patio? At first we thought it was a grasshopper. Not! It was a katydid, sometimes called a...

A katydid, or "long-horned grasshopper," from family Tettigonliidae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A katydid, or "long-horned grasshopper," from family Tettigonliidae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Purple Forest

Flowering artichokes indicate one of two things (1) someone never bothered to harvest them or (2) someone loves...

Honey bee heads toward a flowering artichoke. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee heads toward a flowering artichoke. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Touchdown! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Touchdown! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You can't see the forest for the bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You can't see the forest for the bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Processing tomatoes facing a critical threat: curly top

This year's Fresno County processing tomato crop is suffering from a severe case of curly top virus, reported Alice Daniel on the California Report this morning.

Daniel interviewed Tom Turini, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Fresno County. He said it's common to find some tomatoes infected with curly top, but this year is much worse than usual. The virus is transmitted by beet leafhoppers, which in dry years arrive early from coastal foothills and infect a bigger swath of cropland.

Fresno county has about 100,000 acres of processing tomatoes. Some fields have been completely lost.

"It is likely we're going have lower production in this area, which does account for over a third of California processing tomato production," Turini said.

Listen to the report here:

For more on curly top virus, see the UC Pest Management Guidelines for the disease.

The Overlooked Bees of Bodega Head

Those who hike the trails of Bodega Head, a small promontory in Sonoma County overlooking the Pacific Ocean, enjoy the...

A female digger bee finishes her nest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A female digger bee finishes her nest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A digger bee scouts the landscape. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A digger bee scouts the landscape. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flying low, flying fast. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flying low, flying fast. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sandy cliffs of Bodega Head hold bee villages. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Sandy cliffs of Bodega Head hold bee villages. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Welcome Back, Gulf Frit Caterpillars

The scrub jays are just doing their job. But they're doing it too well. The gulf frittillary butterflies (Agraulis...

Gulf fritillary caterpillar munching away on passion flower leaves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf fritillary caterpillar munching away on passion flower leaves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf fritillary caterpillar crawls along a stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Gulf fritillary caterpillar crawls along a stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two stages of caterpillars. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two stages of caterpillars. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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