Bug Squad

If you missed the family-friendly seminar on ants by UC Davis Professor Phil Ward on Feb. 20 during the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day/Month, not to worry. "All About Ants II" is posted on YouTube at https://youtu.be/d8eRNsD8dxo.

Thankfully, they're out there. Butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, spotted a female monarch butterfly at 1:35 today. As he mentioned in his email: "So, at 1:25 p.m.

Perseverance prevailed. The third instar monarch caterpillar we found munching on the remnants of our cut-back milkweed on Jan. 23 in Vacaville, Calif., is now an adult butterfly fluttering around the neighborhood.

To bee or not to bee? That's a crucial question as the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day/Month, Honey Bee Haven and the California Master Beekeeper Program scramble for funds between now and Sunday, Feb. 28. That's when the UC Davis-authorized crowdfunding drive ends.

When the Ironic Bonds Team and the Gibbs Team won the 12-team competition in the UC Davis Eric Conn Biochemistry Quizzes, it's not game over. It's the beginning of a three-game global series.