Bug Squad

It's just not a picnic without insects. And when the 107th annual UC Davis Picnic Day goes virtual on Saturday, April 17, the insects will go virtual, too.

The bee swarm touched down April 1, settling near the wind chimes on her patio roof. "I saw the swarm when I looked out the window," said Vacaville resident Lynn Starner. She watched dozens of bees buzzing toward the cluster.

Hello, spring! It's not "officially" spring until we see--and photograph--the spectacular Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus. One landed March 30 on an aromatic white lilac bush in Alamo Creek Park, Vacaville. It lingered long enough for a few photos and then fluttered away.

If you missed entomologist Robert Peterson's outstanding virtual seminar on "Tigers in Yellowstone National Park: Adaptations of Insects to Extreme Environments," presented March 31 to the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, not to worry. It's on YouTube at https://youtu.

You've heard of "bats in the belfry," right? Well, how about "bees in the bell tower"? The Epiphany Episcopal Church of Vacaville, Calif., has just that: bees in its bell tower. (See Bug Squad blog, Blessed Are the Bees.