- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
You're shaking my confidence daily...
--"Oh, Cecelia" written by Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkle
If you think of the song, "Oh, Cecelia,' every time you pronounce Phacelia (the plant), you're not alone.
Pollinators, especially honey bees, bumble bees and syrphid flies, love the lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) at the Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden (BOG) near the Botanical Conservatory at the University of California, Davis.
P. tanacetifolia, a leggy three-foot plant clustered with light blue to purple flowers, is a member of the borage family, Boraginaceae. It's native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Where is the BOG? Back of Parking Lot 26 on Kleiber Drive.
What's in it? It's landscaped with several dozen species of heritage fruit trees and colorful mini-gardens.
A sign describes the garden. "This unique landscape showcases a slice of biodiversity in the heart of the central campus and is a hub for outdoor learning...The drought-tolerant plants growing in these beds are all from Mediterranean regions with similar summer-dry climates in Davis, including the Mediterranean, South Africa, Chile and Australia. The beds demonstrate the diversity of plants that can grow in the Sacramento Valley and provide students and campus visitors with a variety of species to observe and study."
So, basically, BOG is an outdoor laboratory for hands-on learning. "Classes perform biodiversity assessments, record insect observations and monitor the onsite weather stations," Instagram relates. Student employees, interns and volunteers at the Botanical Conservatory take care of the garden.
Among the flowers blooming in the BOG in the early spring, by color:
- Red: European red flax, Linum grandiflorum rubrum, an annual that's native to Algeria
- Yellow: tidy tips, Layia platyglossa, an annual that's native to California
--The seep monkey flower, Mimulus guttatus, native to California
--Lupine, Lupinus, native to North America. - Blue: Desert bell, Phacelia campanularia, an annual herb that is native to California and endemic (limited) to California.
- Lavender: Phacelia, also called Lacy phacelia, blue tansy or purple tansy (Phacelia tanacetifolia), native to the southwestern United States
--Lupine: Lupinus, native to North America - Red-Orange-Yellow: Blanket flower or Gaillardia (Gaillardia × grandiflora), native to North and South America
- Orange: California golden poppies, Eschscholtzia californica
But it's the Phacelia that's the big draw today.
Phacelia, you're breaking my heart...
![A honey bee forages on a lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) in the Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden (BOG) at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A honey bee forages on a lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) in the Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden (BOG) at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/98508.jpg)
![A honey bee gathering nectar and pollen from phacelia in the Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden (BOG) at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A honey bee gathering nectar and pollen from phacelia in the Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden (BOG) at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/98509.jpg)
![And now there are two! Another honey bee joins in the foraging on the phacelia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) And now there are two! Another honey bee joins in the foraging on the phacelia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/98510.jpg)
![Signage in the Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Signage in the Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/98511.jpg)
![A colorful banner (now shredded by the recent storms) once greeted visitors to the Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A colorful banner (now shredded by the recent storms) once greeted visitors to the Joseph and Emma Lin Biological Orchard and Garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/98512.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Plenty of interactions occurred among bugs, plants and people at the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, a Super Science Day recently held on the UC Davis campus and both free and family friendly.
Check out some of the activities at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, the Center for Plant Diversity and the Botanical Conservatory. They were among the 11 museums and collections showcased. Also a key part of the annual event: the Anthropology Museum, Arboretum and Public Garden, California Raptor Center, Nematode Collection, Marine Invertebrate Collection, Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Paleontology Collection and the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection.
BioDiv Day, founded by the Bohart Museum, is traditionally held on Presidents' Day weekend. This year's event drew an estimated 3000, according to chair Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum.
A few photos of the interactions among bugs, plants and people....
![Three youngsters delight in moving wildlife around--a squirrel, a bear, a carpenter bee and a butterfly--at the Bohart Museum of Entomology during the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Three youngsters delight in moving wildlife around--a squirrel, a bear, a carpenter bee and a butterfly--at the Bohart Museum of Entomology during the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97932.jpg)
![A boy raises his hand to ask a question as Professor Fran Keller of Folsom Lake College, a Bohart Museum of Entomology scientist, discusses arthropods, including the black widow spiders in the foreground. The occasion: the 12th annual Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A boy raises his hand to ask a question as Professor Fran Keller of Folsom Lake College, a Bohart Museum of Entomology scientist, discusses arthropods, including the black widow spiders in the foreground. The occasion: the 12th annual Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97933.jpg)
![Miles Pickard, 4, listens as his mother, Marissa Pickard, points out a display at the Center for Plant Diversity at the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Miles Pickard, 4, listens as his mother, Marissa Pickard, points out a display at the Center for Plant Diversity at the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97934.jpg)
![Alison Colwell, curator of the UC Davis Herbarium, lines up displays for the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Alison Colwell, curator of the UC Davis Herbarium, lines up displays for the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97935.jpg)
![Marlene Simon, curator of the Botanical Conservatory, points to a plant that needs pollinating. She is known as Marlene Simon, curator of the Botanical Conservatory, points to a plant that needs pollinating. She is known as](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97936.jpg)
![UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day volunteer Anna Klestinec contemplates the plants in the Botanical Conservatory. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day volunteer Anna Klestinec contemplates the plants in the Botanical Conservatory. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/97937.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Graduate students from the Jason Bond laboratory will showcase spiders, scorpions, centipedes and millipedes, while the Lynn Kimsey lab at the Bohart Museum will display specimens of the Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia (nicknamed "the murder hornet" by the news media); and specimens of the state insect, the California dogface butterfly, Zerene eurydice, and its host plant, California false indigo, Amorpha californica.
Bond is the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and associate dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Kimsey, a UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology, directs the Bohart Museum.
"The arachnid/myriapod section of Biodiversity Museum Day will consist of some live specimens--a tarantula, trapdoor spider, scorpion, and some millipedes, and ethanol preserved specimens of arachnids/myriapods that are pretty common and/or well-known, and a small interactive station where people will be able to use props that mimic an insect flying into a web and learn more about the sensory structures that spiders have to detect those vibration," said doctoral candidate Lacie Newton of the Bond lab, coordinator of the exhibit.
The Bohart section will feature Professor Kimsey sharing her expertise on the Asian giant hornet, and Professor Fran Keller of Folsom Lake College, a Bohart scientist and UC Davis doctoral alumnus will join Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas, naturalist and photographer, in discussing the California dogface butterfly and its host plant.
- Arboretum and Public Garden
- UC Davis Bee Haven
- Bohart Museum of Entomology
- Botanical Conservatory
- California Raptor Center
- Center for Plant Diversity
- Department of Anthropology Museum
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology
- Nematode Collection
- Paleontology Collection
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection
Admission and parking are free, but visitors must adhere to the COVID-19 Campus Ready guidelines. Masks will be required in accordance with campus policies, organizers said. Visitors can also sign up at the Conference Center for limited tours. The collections or museums offering tours:
- The Bohart Museum of Entomology, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane, has scheduled tours at noon, 1 and 2. The Bohart houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, and also a live "petting zoo" and gift shop. "People will sign up at the Convention Center and be chaperoned over approximately 15 minutes before the hour to the attend their tour," said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator. "Tours should last 30 to 45 minutes." Entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection, will be discussing butterflies and moths.
- The UC Davis Bee Haven, located on Bee Biology Road, next to the Harry H.Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, west of the central campus, will offer tours at noon and 2. Established in the fall of 2009, the Bee Haven is a half-acre demonstration garden operated by the Department of Entomology and Nematology. "We'll focus on how best to observe and identify bees in the garden, as well as suggested bee plants that grow well in our area with low water," said Christine Casey, academic program management officer of the Bee Haven.
- The Arboretum and Public Garden will provide two 30-45 minute tours, "Climate-Ready Tree Project: Texas Tree Trials." Groups will leave the Conference Center at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The project mission is to see if trees from west and central Texas will do well in this climate. The project involved collecting seeds, propagating them and planting them in the Arboretum.An Asian giant hornet from Blaine, Wash. This insect, nicknamed "murder hornet," will be discussed at the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Allan Smith-Pardo, USDA)
- The Phaff Yeast Culture Collection is planning self-guided tours of the UC Davis Brewery, used for teaching and research, according to Kyria Boundy-Mills, curator, Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Food Science and Technology.
Different yeast strains are used for different styles of beer. These include ale yeast strains, lager yeast strains, and Belgian beer strains that are hybrids of wild yeasts. UC Davis offers an undergraduate major in food science and technology, with an emphasis on brewing science. Training includes chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, quality assurance, engineering, sanitation, packaging, malting and crewing. The program currently includes 18 students studying for their bachelor of science degrees, and three students seeking their master of science degrees. - The Botanical Conservatory is technically not offering tours, says manager Ernesto Sandoval "but we will be open to the public so people can wander through at their own pace and we'll regulate the number of people in the greenhouse at any one time. They can see our revamped succulent and carnivore rooms as well as our Cacao, aka 'Chocolate Tree,' with fruits as well as coffee and a very happy vanilla plant all amongst an incredible diversity of plants from ferns to an assortment of orchids."
The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is traditionally held on the Saturday of Presidents' Day weekend. However, last year's event was virtual, and this year's event is centrally located in an exposition. For more information, access the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day website and/or connect with Instagram,Twitter, and Facebook.
![Five members of the Jason Bond at the UC Quail Ridge Reserve, Napa County. From left are Lacie Newton, Xavier Zahnle, Emma Jochim, Lisa Chamberland, and Jim Starrett. Not pictured are the newest lab members Iris Bright and Megan Ma. Five members of the Jason Bond at the UC Quail Ridge Reserve, Napa County. From left are Lacie Newton, Xavier Zahnle, Emma Jochim, Lisa Chamberland, and Jim Starrett. Not pictured are the newest lab members Iris Bright and Megan Ma.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/89297.jpg)
![Doctoral candidate Lacie Newton of the Jason Bond lab digging out a trapdoor spider, genus Aliatypus, at the Moore Creek Park in Napa County. Doctoral candidate Lacie Newton of the Jason Bond lab digging out a trapdoor spider, genus Aliatypus, at the Moore Creek Park in Napa County.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/89300.jpg)
![Bohart Museum associate Greg Kareofelas (left) shares his expertise on California dogface butterflies with Rob Stewart of the television program, Bohart Museum associate Greg Kareofelas (left) shares his expertise on California dogface butterflies with Rob Stewart of the television program,](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/89301.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
When you attend the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 15, you'll see these California natives blooming in the Biological Orchard and Gardens (BOG), a 24,000-square-foot treasure behind the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory off Kleiber Hall Drive.
The ninth annual Biodiversity Museum Day, a science-based day that's free and family friendly, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and showcase 13 museums or collections, including the Botanical Conservatory, managed by curator Ernesto Sandoval.
BOG is a living museum, planted not only with several dozen species of heritage fruit trees, but landscaped with colorful mini-gardens.
Among the flowers blooming in the BOG in the early spring, by color:
- Red: European red flax, Linum grandiflorum rubrum, an annual that's native to Algeria
- Yellow: tidy tips, Layia platyglossa, an annual that's native to California
--The seep monkey flower, Mimulus guttatus, native to California
--Lupine, Lupinus, native to North America. - Blue: Desert bell, Phacelia campanularia, an annual herb that is native to California and endemic (limited) to California.
- Lavender: Phacelia, also called Lacy phacelia, blue tansy or purple tansy (Phacelia tanacetifolia), native to the southwestern United States
--Lupine: Lupinus, native to North America - Red-Orange-Yellow: Blanket flower or Gaillardia (Gaillardia × grandiflora), native to North and South America
- Orange: California golden poppies, Eschscholtzia californica
The orchard contains heritage fruit tree varieties threatened with commercial extinction. They include the Gravenstein and Johnathan apples; the Suncrest peach; the Bleinheim apricot, the Mariposa plum and the Meyer lemon. See the full list of trees as well as some fun facts here: https://thebogatucd.wixsite.com/bogucd/single-post/2017/07/18/BOG-Fruit-Trees.
UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day
The ninth annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is billed as a “free, educational event for the community where visitors get to meet and talk with UC Davis scientists from undergraduate students to staff to emeritus professors and see amazing objects and organisms from the world around us,” according to Biodiversity Museum Day coordinator Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Last year's event drew more than 4000 visitors. The event is always held the Saturday of Presidents' Day weekend.
The schedule is online at http://biodiversitymuseumday.ucdavis.edu/schedule.html.
Participating museums or collections and the hours they will be open:
- The Botanical Conservatory, the Greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The following five will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Shields Oak Grove, alongside the Vet School, Garrod Drive on campus
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and Main Hall of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane
- California Raptor Center, 340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394 and Mail Hall, Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane
- Paleontology Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road
Two collections will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, 392 Old Davis Road, on campus
- Viticulture and Enology Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, 392 Old Davis Road, on campus
These five will be open from noon to 4 p.m.:
- Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds
- Center for Plant Diversity, Sciences Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, Bee Biology Road, off Hopkins Road (take West Hutchison Drive to Hopkins)
- Nematode Collection, Sciences Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive
- Marine Invertebrate Collection, Sciences Laboratory Building, off Kleiber Hall Drive
All 13 sites are within walking distance except for the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road and the Raptor Center on Old Davis Road. Further information, including a campus map, is available on the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day website. Maps will be distributed at the 13 sites.
![A honey bee foraging on a desert bell, Phacelia campanularia, an annual herb that is native to California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A honey bee foraging on a desert bell, Phacelia campanularia, an annual herb that is native to California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/65838.jpg)
![A sign defines the Biological Orchard and Gardens (BOG). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A sign defines the Biological Orchard and Gardens (BOG). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/65841.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
New to the Biodiversity Day are the Nematode Collection, Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, California Raptor Center, Phaff Yeast Culture Collection and the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.
They will join the Center for Plant Diversity, Botanical Conservatory, Paleontology Collections, Anthropology Collection, Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, and the Bohart Museum of Entomology for a day of science exploration.
Biodiversity Museum Day is billed as a special day for the public to go behind the scenes to learn how scientists conduct research; gain first-hand educational experience; and see some of the curators' favorite pieces, including the history of the collection or the organism.
Parking is free. Visitors are encouraged to stroll or bike around the UC Davis campus to visit these diverse collections. They can explore displays, talk to scientists and students, and participate in family-friendly activities. This year students interested in applying or transferring to UC Davis are especially encouraged to visit.
All participating museums and collections have active education and outreach programs, but the collections are not always accessible to the public. For a full-day experience, the Biodiversity Museum Day has scheduled staggered hours:
- Anthropology Collections, Young Hall, open noon to 4 p.m.
- Arboretum, Headquarters along LaRue Road, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Academic Surge Building, open noon to 4 p.m.
- Botanical Conservatory, greenhouses along Klieber Hall Drive, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- California Raptor Center, Old Davis Road, open 9 a.m. to noon
- Center for Plant Diversity, Sciences Lab Building, open 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, Bee Biology Road, open 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Academic Surge Building, open noon to 4 p.m.
- Nematode Collection, Sciences Lab Building, open 1 to 4 p.m.
- Paleontology Collections, Earth and Physical Sciences Building, open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building, open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Most of the collections are located indoors. In the event of rain, alternative locations are planned for the outdoor sites. Maps, signs and guides will be available at all the collections, online, and on social media, including Facebook and Twitter, @BioDivDay.
For further information about the event, contact Ernesto Sandoval, director of the Botanical Conservatory, at jesandoval@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-0569.
(Editor's Note: More information and photos are pending. The Bohart Museum of Entomology,Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven and the Nematode Collection are all part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.)
![Bohart Museum associate and entomologist Jeff Smith (in back, at left) talks about the Lepitoptera section that he curates. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Bohart Museum associate and entomologist Jeff Smith (in back, at left) talks about the Lepitoptera section that he curates. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/33899.jpg)
![Bohart Museum associate Robbin Thorp (center), distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, with visitors at a Biodiversity Museum Day at the Bohart Museum. At right (foreground) is UC Davis entomology undergraduate student and Bohart volunteer Wade Spencer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Bohart Museum associate Robbin Thorp (center), distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, with visitors at a Biodiversity Museum Day at the Bohart Museum. At right (foreground) is UC Davis entomology undergraduate student and Bohart volunteer Wade Spencer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/33900.jpg)
![The Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven will be a part of the Biodiversity Museum Day this year. The bee sculpture is the work of Davis artist Donna Billick, who co-founded and co-directed the UC Davis Art/ Science Fusion Program with professor/entomologist Diane Ullman. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) The Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven will be a part of the Biodiversity Museum Day this year. The bee sculpture is the work of Davis artist Donna Billick, who co-founded and co-directed the UC Davis Art/ Science Fusion Program with professor/entomologist Diane Ullman. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/33903.jpg)