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)
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A male monarch, Danaus plexippus, spreads its wings on a tower of jewels (Echium wildpretii) in Vacaville, Calif. on Sunday, May 23. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Portraits of a Monarch Just Stopping By

May 25, 2020
Welcome, Danaus plexippus! A monarch butterfly, the first of the year, fluttered through our family pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif. last Sunday and hung around for about two hours. We clocked him in at 5 p.m. and he exited around 7.
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A honey bee dusted with pollen from Gaillardia, also known as "the blanket flower." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee Inspired: It's World Bee Day!

May 20, 2020
Did you observe World Bee Day today? Every year on May 20, the United Nations asks us to think about this day, "to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators" and "the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development.
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This is the female of the new genus, Cryptocteniza. (Image by Jason Bond)

Name That Spider!

May 19, 2020
Name that spider! UC Davis professor Jason Bond is seeking a species name for a new genus of trapdoor spiders he discovered on a sandy beach at Moss Landing State Park, Monterey County. Bond proposes to name the genus, Cryptocteniza, part of which means hidden or secret.
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