Bug Squad

What a wonderful gift! Bee research at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr.

The headline drew us in: "Bees Age Faster When They Raise Offspring." It came from ScienceNow, the online edition of Science Magazine.

The buzz around UC Davis is about "The Wings of Life." The Disneynature film, narrated by Meryl Streep, will be part of the "Evening of Inspiration" on Wednesday, July 24 at the UC Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Lane. Sponsoring the event, to be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

What a beauty. But not nearly as striking as her male counterpart. The flame skimmer dragonfly (Libellula saturata) owned a perch on a bamboo stake last Tuesday in residential Davis.

What's better than a bee threading through a flowering artichoke? Two bees, a honey bee and a long-horned sunflower bee. Flowering 'chokes are big draws for bees. Plant 'em, let 'em flower, and they will come. Sometimes in droves. Sometimes in diversity. Always amazing.