Bug Squad

Two ladybugs, aka lady beetles, circled their little house, a 1.5-inch plastic container punctured with air holes. Up. Down. Down. Up. In a way, they seemed like hamsters on a treadmill. I don't know how long they'd been in the container, but they were anxious to leave.

The first day of spring--Tuesday, March 20--yielded a diversity of insects in the fava beans planted in the Hagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly garden adjacent to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, University of California,Davis.

(Note: Due to a forecast of heavy rain, the grand opening originally scheduled March 24 is now Saturday, March 31. The blog below reflects the change.) The Davis Bee Sanctuary is the place to "bee" on Saturday, March 31.

When the annual California Ag Day takes place Wednesday, March 21 on the west side of the California State Capitol grounds, Sacramento, expect to see a lot of happy faces. This year's overall theme is "Know Your California Farmer.

It's St. Patrick's Day tomorrow and time for "The Wearing of the Green." "The Wearing of the Green" is actually an Irish street ballad dating back to the Irish Rebellion of 1798. The author: anonymous. The color of choice: green.