- (Focus Area) Yard & Garden
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
When UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal, recipient of a UC Davis Academic Senate's 2024 Faculty Distinguished Research Award, delivered his seminar at a recent luncheon in the UC Davis Conference Center, honey bees showed up, too.
In images, text, and analogies.
“Just like in a honey bee colony, it takes a team to win an award," he said, and graciously proceeded to thank all those who made it possible. Family, friends, students, postdoctoral fellows, colleagues, staff and more. Or, as he said "work performed by the cast of thousands deserve the distinguished research award."
Leal, former professor and chair of the...
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
Help increase public awareness of invasive species and encourage participation in the ongoing fight against invasive species by celebrating California Invasive Species Action Week (CISAW) June 1- 9, 2024.
Invasive species include non-native plants, animals, and pathogens that can negatively impact our waters, native ecosystems, agriculture, health, and economy. Every day this week, UC IPM will share information spotlighting a different invasive species, its impacts, and what you can do to help.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming blog posts and check out the resources below to learn more about invasive species:
- Read UC IPM's previous blog posts on
A beautiful tree sits on the north side of Little Chico Creek, shading the picnic table at site #34 in Lower Bidwell Park. Its thick, smooth lower branches are perfect for climbing, and its form is both rounder and more symmetrical than its relatives at higher elevations. And its occurrence at our low altitude (elevation 197 feet) is rare.
Arbutus menziesii, a broadleaf evergreen hardwood tree, is best known as Pacific madrone. It is most often found along Puget Sound, and in the Oregon and California coast ranges; it is also scattered on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountain ranges. Its favorite habitats in southwestern Oregon and northern California are dry foothills, wooded slopes,...
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
- Contributor: Roger A Baldwin
In this blog article we answer some frequently asked questions about moles, voles, and gophers and their management.
How can I tell if I have moles, voles, gophers, or something else?
Moles: look for circular or volcano-shaped mounds with the plug in the middle, or a plug may not be apparent. The soil of mole mounds tends to be clumpier than gophers. Moles sometimes leave a raised ridge just beneath the soil surface while hunting for food.
Voles: look for aboveground runways that connect burrow openings. Grass usually covers the burrows. Voles can girdle trees...
Lavenders (Lavendula spp.) are lovely plants with colorful flowers often in purple shades with a distinctive scent. A common sight in many gardens, it is generally easy to grow, and is a magnet for pollinators such as honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies, and hoverflies. Coveted for its fragrance, calming presence, healing properties, and as a flavoring agent, it has been used for hundreds of years for a variety of purposes.
For the third year the UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardeners is presenting its popular A Lavender Experience Workshop. Participants will:
- Explore the history of lavender and its uses.
- Learn about different types of lavender and how to grow them.
- Learn to...