Bug Squad

Nice to see you! In early spring and throughout most of the summer, we saw scores of digger bees, Anthophora urbana, living in our garden. The very territorial males patrolled the flowers, trying to save them for the females (to mate with them).

You can "bee" one in a million. You can "bee" more than you ever thought of "bee-ing." And when you do, you'll be helping the bees, butterflies, beetles and bats.

Dragonflies! Who isn't fascinated by dragonflies? They're an ancient insect. Their ancestors existed before dinosaurs. Indeed, fossil records show that they were the world's largest flying insects, some with wingspans measuring three feet.

Broken Wing belongs here. And that's a good thing, because he won't live long. A male monarch that we've nicknamed Broken Wing due to a predator mark, hangs out on our milkweed, butterfly bush and Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). He's probably looking for a meal and a mate.

The University of California, Davis, prides itself on teaching, research and public service. A few faculty members excel at all three (they're called triple threats) and distinguished professor James R. Carey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is one of them.