- (Focus Area) Natural Resources
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Did you know that there are 73 species of dragonflies (Anisoptera) in California?
We've been waiting for an updated field guide book on our state's dragonflies, and now it's here.
Dragonfly experts Kathy Biggs and Sandra von Arb have just announced their newly published book, Dragonflies (Anisoptera) of California,published by Nature/Field Guides. It's a 200-page, spiral-bound book, rich with images, and featuring ALL of the 73 known species of dragonflies in California (many of these dragonflies also inhabit nearby states).
We remember Biggs and von Arb sharing their expertise at a dragonfly open house at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, on Sept. 20, 2015 with international dragonfly authority Rosser Garrison, author of Dragonfly Genera of the New World: an llustrated and Annotated Key to the Anisoptera (now a retired insect biosystematist, California Department of Food and Agriculture); and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas. UC Davis doctoral candidate Christofer Brothers also has shared his expertise on dragonflies at Bohart Museum open houses.
Biggs and von Arb relate they met through their shared passion for dragonflies. Biggs? An experienced dragonfly guide and author. Von Arb? A biologist and founder of the Biodiversity Education and Research Foundation, commonly known as BEAR or BEAR Foundation.
The authors point out that the book contains:
- More than 146 full-color photographs of both the males and females and their descriptions (photos also include nymph/exuvia for each genus)
- Habitat, distribution maps, flight periods, behaviors, similar species and oviposition techniques for each species
- Clear and easy-to-use format
Among the photographers contributing to the book are Pierre Deviche, Jim Johnson and Matthew Matthiessen. "Greg (Kareofelas) has a thumbnail showing a close-up of one of a snake tail faces showing the horns on the females," Biggs added.
You can order the book here. The link shows sample pages as well.
Now, I'm waiting for that flameskimmer to snag a flying insect, just as its ancestors did. Dragonflies existed before the Age of Dinosaurs; dinosaurs lived during the Mesozoic Era (and that was 252 to 66 million years ago). Indeed, fossil records show that these dragonfly ancestors were the world's largest flying insects, some with wing spans measuring three feet.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
When a newly eclosed Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, lands on a butterfly bush, the colors are striking.
The yellow and black butterfly contrasts well on the purple blossoms of Buddleja davidii.
While the majestic butterfly is widely loved, the plant, also called summer lilac, is not. It's considered an ecological threat and a noxious weed by the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States: "Buddleja davidii readily invades disturbed sites and riparian areas. Although butterflies will use this plant as a nectar source their larvae cannot survive on it. By replacing native larval food source plants butterfly bush can have a negative impact on wildlife."
B. davidii is native to Sichuan and Hubei provinces in central China, and also Japan. The genus, Buddleja, is named for the Rev. Adam Buddle, an English botanist. The species name honors Father Armand David, a French missionary and explorer in China, Father Armand David, who was the first European to report the shrub, according to Wikipedia. It won the RHS Award of Merit in 1898, and the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 1941.
Now nurseries are selling non-invasive hybrids, with such names as "Lo and Behold" and "Blue Chip" and "Flutterby."
Nevertheless, who can resist photographing the Western tiger swallowtail as it stops to nectar on a butterfly bush?
Lo and behold...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
So much to see and do, and so many moth experts will be on hand to answer your questions.
It's all in keeping with National Moth Week.
The event, free and family friendly, will take place inside and outside the Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis, as well as in the hallway of Academic Surge,and outside.
Moth'ers Peter Coggan, a doctoral student in the laboratory of Santiago Ramirez, UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology, and his father, Peter Coggan of northern Minnesota, and active in the Minnesota chapter of National Dark Skies, will staff a moth sensory booth.
Together they can address such topics as moth sensory biology, husbandry, trapping, and light pollution.
The younger Coggan, a member of the UC Davis Population Biology Graduate Group, was born and raised in Boulder, Colo., where he developed a love for biodiversity in the surrounding mountains. He is broadly interested in how sensory processing shapes memory formation and other cognitive traits. He is currently investigating "how hover flies decide which flowers to visit based on innate color preference and learned odors." He began conducting research in high school and has participated in projects from cancer diagnostics to waste water management. He received a bachelor of science in biology from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. As an undergraduate, he worked with Dr. Mark Willis and studied how moths perceive smell while moving through a complex environment. Coggan anticipates a career in academia and "to continue to raise awareness about invertebrates."
Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection, and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas will show moth specimens and answer questions. The Bohart Museum's global collection of 8 million insects includes some 825,454 specimens of moths and butterflies, incluing 618,750 moths, ranging in size from the huge Atlas moths (10-inch wingspan) to the extremely tiny (4 mm wingspan) leafminer moths.”
Moth'er Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, will be displaying his images of moths and answering questions.Silks of the world also will be displayed, announced Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator.
In the hallway, visitors can view wing scales and antennae through microscopes at a table staffed by Iris Quayle, doctoral student in the lab of Professor Jason Bond, director of the Bohart Museum, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, Agricultural Sciences, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The petting zoo, featuring Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects, also is scheduled to include Polyphemus caterpillars, "if they haven't all pupated," Yang said. The caterpillars will turn into silk moths. Staffing the petting zoo are UC Davis undergraduate student Kaitai Liu and doctoral candidate Emma Jochim of the Bond lab.
The family craft activity will involve making caterpillar stress balls in a cocoon bag, donned with leaves on the outside.
A free public snack of hot chocolate and cookies will be offered, Yang said.
Outside on the grounds, Bohart research associate John "Moth Man" De Benedictus and his colleagues will set up a blacklighting display (a white sheet and a UV light to attract moths and other night-flying insects). De Benedictis has amassed a moth collection of some 600 species from the Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve and 300 species from his backyard in Davis. He received a grant from the former Institute of Ecology to study moths at the Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve where he collected from 1989 until the last major fire in 2020.
“I began a similar inventory of the species in my backyard after I purchased my home in 1998," De Benedictis said. "It continues to this day, and a synoptic collection of the 300 or so species that I've collected in my yard is housed alongside the Cold Canyon collection in the Bohart Museum.” Graduate student Grace Horne of the lab of urban landscape entomologist Emily Meineke, Department of Entomology and Nematology, is analyzing the data from these studies as part of her doctoral research.
DeBenedictus retired in 2001 from the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, where he worked as a staff research assistant from 1995 to 2001 in the laboratory of medical entomologist Tom Scott. De Benedictis, who holds a master's degree in entomology from UC Berkeley, studied with noted professor Jerry Powell (1933-2023), emeritus director of the Essig Museum of Entomology.
Worldwide, scientists have described about 18,000 species of butterflies and 180,000 species of moths, "and hundreds of newly named species are added every year," Smith said. "It's also believed that we may know of no more than 10-15 percent of the species actually out there, with the small 'micro-Lepidoptera' likely with over 90 percent of the species in the world still unknown. This emphasizes the importance of preserving natural environments so things don't go extinct before we can ever recognize their importance to the Earth and their relationships in their habitats."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
For the beekeepers that's easy. They dislike the pests known as "wax moths" and their larvae.
The female wax moths hang around the hives at night and when the opportunity arises, slip in to lay their eggs. If the colony is weak, this pest can take over.
The honey bee bible, The Hive and the Honey Bee (Dadant Publication), says the wax moth female "produces less than 300 eggs during her life span of 3 to 30 days, but a few lay as many as 2000 eggs. Mated females fly to beehives one to three hours after dark, enter, and lay eggs until they leave shortly before daylight."
The Hive and the Honey Bee authors relate that "the presence of the wax moth larvae usually signals a major problem such as queenlessness, an infectious disease, poisoning and starvation."
In his book, Honey Bee Biology (2023 Princeton University), bee scientist Brian Johnson, associate professor, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, touches on colony pests in addition to his indepth coverage of everything from molecular genetics, development, and physiology to neurobiology, behavior, and pollination biology.
Johnson writes in part: "The greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) and the lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella) are old and well-known pests of honey bees. The female moth lays her eggs on the comb and the larvae consume the wax, pollen and honey. In nature, these pests are mainly a threat to weak colonies, as strong colonies can kill their larvae." He goes on to mention that beekeepers who inadequately store large amounts of wax combs may be subject to wax moth infestations. He recommends air tight storage and the use of mothballs.
The larvae are not always unwanted. They've been introduced as an alternative model to study microbial infections.
So, in keeping with National Moth Week, the Bohart Museum of Entomology is hosting its annual Moth Night from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 20 at its headquarters in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455Crocker Lane, UC Davis. Inside, Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart's Lepidoptera collection, and his colleagues will be displaying moth specimens and answering questions. Outside, Bohart research associate John "Moth Man" De Benedictus will set up a blacklighting display, complete with white sheet and a UV light to attract moths and other night-flying insects.
The open house is free and family friendly. Also free: hot chocolate and cookies, according to Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator.
Founded in 1946, the Bohart Museum is the home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens. It also features a petting zoo (including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks and tarantulas) and a gift shop stocked with insect-themed t-shirts, hoodies, books, posters, jewelry and more. The museum is directed by Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, Agricultural Sciences, UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
- Author: DIANA CERVANTES
Llega la temporada de incendios y, aunque la mayoría de las personas saben que deben tomar ciertas medidas, pocas veces lo hacen. En la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de California, este tema se toma muy en serio.
“Como bien sabemos, en nuestro estado los incendios son una amenaza constante y parte de los ecosistemas”, dijo Luca Carmignani, Ph.D., asesor contra incendios de UC ANR. “Hemos preparado una serie de videos con las formas más sencillas para proteger tu hogar”.
Luca explicó que, en un incendio, las brasas pueden ingresar a las viviendas a través de los respiraderos, siendo esta la razón por la que muchas casas se incendian. Para evitar esto, es necesario mantener la malla del respiradero en buen estado.
Otro aspecto importante para considerar es que los techos generalmente reciben la mayor cantidad de brasas durante los incendios. Por eso, es crucial mantenerlos limpios y libres de hojas o cualquier objeto que pueda obstruirlos.
Es fundamental que todos estemos preparados y tomemos las precauciones necesarias para proteger nuestros hogares y comunidades. Aquí te dejamos algunos consejos esenciales:
- Limpia el perímetro de tu hogar: Retira hojas secas, ramas y cualquier material inflamable que pueda servir de combustible.
- Crea una zona de seguridad: Mantén una distancia mínima de 30 pies de material inflamable alrededor de tu casa. Debe mantener las plantas lejos de cualquier combustible.
- Revise techos y canaletas: Asegúrate de que no haya acumulaciones de hojas en las canaletas y de que las ventanas estén bien selladas.
- Ventanas y Garaje: Se recomienda tener ventas de doble cristal porque las llamas pueden romper el vidrio y entrar en la casa; No olvide que los garajes regularmente tienen ventanas.
- Ten un plan de emergencia: Asegúrate de que todos en tu hogar sepan qué hacer y a dónde ir en caso de incendio.
- Mantente informado: Sigue las noticias locales y las recomendaciones de las autoridades en caso de un incendio cercano.
Recuerda, la prevención y la preparación pueden marcar la diferencia. Toma acción ahora y protege lo que más te importa.
Para ver los videos visita la página de YouTube de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de California https://www.youtube.com/user/ucanrspanish