Bug Squad

There she was--a gorgeous orange-and-black butterfly sipping nectar from a rosemary bush near the Glen Cove Marina, Vallejo. She seemed so out of place and out of season. It was Sunday morning, Feb.

It's almond pollination season in California but the weather refuses to cooperate. Heavy rains, high winds, intense flooding. What are the bees to do? They're holed up in their hives, waiting for the sun breaks.

Thinking about bee-coming a beekeeper? Or thinking about a Valentine's Day gift for your honey? There's still room in several of the courses to be taught this spring by the E.L. Nio Bee Lab at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Research Facility, University of California, Davis.

Excitement is building for the sixth annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. The family friendly, science-based event takes place Saturday, Feb. 18 when 12 museums or collections will be open to the public.

It was a gathering of lepidopterists. A veritable Who's Who of lepidopterists. Some 25 lepidopterists and others interested in butterflies and moths gathered recently at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, to work on identifications, share research information, and enjoy camaraderie.