Got a question about butterflies?
You can engage with scientists at the Bohart Museum of Entomology from noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21 during the 15th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day.
The Bohart, located in Room 1124, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane is one of 12 museums or collections participating in the campuswide event chaired by Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum.
Entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum's Lepidoptera collection, and fellow Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas are inviting the public to attend. The event is free and family friendly.
"We will show butterfly specimens, invite the crowd to open the drawers, and answer questions," Smith said. "If space allows it we could show one or two other aisles as well--more large butterflies or the aisle with the large silk moths, hummingbird moths, and beautiful tiger moths. We love to field questions from visitors but I like to engage them with questions of my own--what is our state insect, what is the smallest butterfly in America, how do butterflies defend themselves from predators, and why do the brilliant colors benefit some species? I am fascinated with the mimicry of one species for another."
"So, visitors will have the opportunity to gently browse through the thousands of glass-topped drawers themselves and learn more about the importance of butterflies and moths to their environment and to people," Smith commented. "With luck we will have many young people in attendance too, and hope to get them excited about Nature."
What is the smallest butterfly in America? "It's the Pygmy Blue, Brephidium exilis, common but so small it’s often overlooked. We will also show some of the tiniest moths with a wingspan only 3 mm across. You could fit 10 of them on one wing of that Pygmy Blue."
The Bohart Museum, founded in 1946, houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, plus a live petting zoo (including Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects or walking sticks), and an insect-themed gift shop stocked with T-shirts, hoodies, jewelry, posters, books, candy and collecting equipment.
Displays in Hallway of Academic Surge
The Academic Surge hallway just outside the Bohart headquarters will be staffed by scientists displaying native bees, ants and arachnids. The bee displays are from the labs of Neal Williams and Rachelle Vannette, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT), as well as the labs of Felicity Muth and Santiago Ramirez, both from the College of Biological Sciences. The ENT lab of Jason Bond will display spiders, and the ENT lab of Rodolfo da Silva Probst, the newest faculty member (he starts March 1), will focus on ants.
Other entomology projects to be showcased during the 15th Annual Biodiversity Museum Day are:
Bee Haven
Bee Haven, 1 Bee Biology Road, off Hutchison, then Hopkins Road. Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"Visit the UC Davis Bee Haven and explore a vibrant pollinator garden home to more than 200 plant species that support honey bees and native pollinators. The haven is a half-acre pollinator demonstration garden installed in the fall of 2009. This interdisciplinary space blends art, education and ecological design to create meaningful habitat and learning opportunities. Guests can enjoy a hands-on experience in the garden, take home seed cookies to plant, ask questions about all things bees, and view an observation frame for a rare, up-close look at bees in their natural environment. It’s a chance to learn and connect and be inspired by the world of pollinators."--Professor and bee scientist Elina Niño, director of The Haven, and Samantha Murray, education and garden coordinator.
Nematode Collection
Nematode Collection, 1026 Katherine Esau Science Hall. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Visitors can meet scientists and explore the diversity of nematodes that parasitize both animals and plants. We will have lots of nematode samples on display, including nematodes that infect animals and plants, nematodes found in whales, and fresh tomato roots infected with root-knot nematodes. The visitors will be able to get an up-close view of what these tiny organisms look like and learn about the ways they infect their hosts. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and dive deep into how nematodes shape ecosystems, agriculture and animal health. Visitors also will get to collect cool nematode stickers designed by our talented undergraduate Lisa Nakano, and have fun playing with magic worms."--Lab of nematologist Shahid Siddique, associate professor.
Grand Opening of Murals
3 p.m.: Unveiling of two newly completed murals behind the Arboretum Plant Nursery on Garrod Drive. They are the work of urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, associate professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (she also directs the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program) and her students (ENT 001: "Art, Science and the World of Insects"), and mentor and colleague UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emerita Diane Ullman, emerita director and co-founder of the Art/Science Fusion Program. "The two murals are the first half of a 4-mural project displaying a cross-section of California’s diversity, spanning from the coast to the Sierras," Meineke says. "The murals being unveiled are of the coast and the Central Valley. They are 15’ by 5’ large format, high-relief pieces, each made by one quarter of ENT 001 students." In addition to the faculty and students, a number of volunteers participated.
The Arboretum and Public Garden will be open from noon to 4 p.m. in the Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway.
Access the BioDiv Website
For more information on the Biodiversity Museum Day, access the website, which includes a map you can download, location of food trucks (outside the Katherine Esau Science Hall) and more. The UC Davis Entomology and Nematology website also contains information and images about each of the 12 museums or collections.
Cover image: Curator Jeff Smith (right) and Greg Kareofelas of the Bohart Museum Lepidoptera Collection strike a pose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)