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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The malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae. Julián Hillyer, associate professor of biological sciences, Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Nashville, Tenn., will speak on the malaria mosquito at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 23, in 122 Briggs Hall, UC Davis. (Photo by Anthony Cornel, UC Davis)

Mosquito Expert Julián Hillyer's Topic: 'Not So Heartless!'

October 21, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
What a catchy title: "Not So Heartless." Wait, there's more! "Not So Heartless: Functional Integration of the Immune and Circulatory Systems of Mosquitoes." This may not be the proverbial heart-stopping seminar, but it promises to be an eye opener by a medical entomologist and captivating speaker.
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A male monarch nectars on a butterfly bush in Vacaville, Calif. on Oct. 12, 2019. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Art Shapiro: 'The Controversy Over the Western Monarch Butterfly'

October 18, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Back in February, butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, told a monarch butterfly summit on the UC Davis campus--organized by the Environmental Defense Fund--that the monarchs are "on life support.
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A newly eclosed Gulf Fritillary dries its wings while a caterpillar crawls around looking for food. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Gulf Fritillary: A Glorious Butterfly

October 16, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's commonly called a "passion butterfly," but we call it a Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillaea) or Gulf Frit. Or "spectacular.
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