Bug Squad

You gotta love the Joe-Pye Weed. It's a shady character and a late bloomer. That is, it loves the shade and blooms in the late summer and early fall. Better yet, bees and butterflies love it. Once you hear the distinctive name, Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum) you'll never forget it.

There's a whole lot of crunchin' going on. The redhumped caterpillar has discovered our redbud tree, which it considers an "all-you-can" buffet. Now this is a voracious eater on the same scale of a fellow named Joey "Jaws" Chestnut. Seconds? Yes, please. Thirds? Of course. Fourths? Definitely.

This is no ordinary calendar. We just previewed the second annual North American Native Bee calendar and it's just absolutely spectacular.

Colony collapse disorder--what's the status? Beekeepers in California are cautiously optimistic that their colonies are going to survive the winter in better shape that they have in the past few years, says Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty.

If it's September--and it is--"S" is for seminars. All over the UC Davis campus, departments are gearing up for fall seminars.