Bug Squad

So I'm a praying mantis and being a top-notch real estate developer, I've located the best place in the pollinator garden. I have acquired the proper plans and permits to orchestrate complete control over the property. Ah, the fragrance of the African blue basil. The tasty nectar.

Have you ever pulled up a chair in your garden and watched honey bees foraging? They are so intent on their "bees-ness" that they don't know you're there. It's a great opportunity to photograph them.

The California Dogface Butterfly, the state insect, is making quite a splash, and Placer Land Trust and UC Davis-affiliated scientists are an integral part of that. It seems as if the image of the dogface butterfly is everywhere.

Gotta love those crab spiders! We've seen them ambushing prey, eating prey and looking for more prey. They're members of the Thomisidae family of spiders. They can move sideways and backwards. And they excel at camouflage.

It's been a "very poor year" for monarch butterflies in the Pacific Northwest. So, folks, if you're in their migratory pathway and anticipate seeing them head toward their overwintering sites in coastal California, don't get your hopes up. They're not coming.