Bug Squad

A daily (M-F) blog launched Aug. 6, 2008 and about the wonderful world of insects and those who study them. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Well, hello there! A jumping spider moves slowly and unobtrusively up a shadowed Vacaville wall on Jan. 2. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Spider, a Shadow, a Hello, and a Goodbye

January 11, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Who doesn't love jumping spiders? They're adorable. No? Well, they are to arthropod enthusiasts, but not so much to their prey. This one (probably a Phidippus audax, a Bold Jumper) was moving slowly and unobtrusively up a shadowed Vacaville stucco wall on the morning of Jan. 2.
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Two's company, three's a crowd? Milkweed bugs on a cactus on Jan. 2, 2022 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Overwintering Milkweed Bugs on the Prowl

January 10, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Have you seen any overwintering milkweed bugs lately? About a dozen milkweed bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus, emerged from seclusion Jan. 2, 2022 in our Vacaville garden. The temperature hovered at 32 degrees that morning, but when the sun peeked out, there they were. Mating.
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A screen shot of Art Shapiro's butterfly site at http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/

Art Shapiro: One Moth, One Butterfly

January 6, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The New Year is less than a week old, and Lepidoptera (aka Lep) species are scarce. Butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, has spotted only one moth and one butterfly since Wednesday, Jan. 5.
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