- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, and the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, seem made for one another.
Both are a showy orange. Both are show-stoppers. And both attract a photographer's eye.
Especially when a Gulf Frit flutters over a Tithonia on a warm sunny day in a Vacaville garden.
A shutter speed of 1/5000 of a second (Nikon D500 with a 200mm lens) stopped the action.
"This dazzling bit of the New World Tropics was introduced into southern California in the 19th Century--we don't know how--and was first recorded in the Bay Area before 1908, though it seems to have become established there only in the 1950s," writes butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus, on his website, Art's Butterfly World. "It can be quite common in the East and South Bay --particularly in Berkeley-- and has been found breeding spontaneously as far inland as Fairfield where, however, it is not established."
Shapiro, who has monitored butterfly populations in Central California since 1972, continues: "There are scattered records in the Central Valley and even up to Folsom, perhaps resulting from people breeding the species for amusement or to release at social occasions. According to Hal Michael, who grew up in South Sacramento, this species bred there in abundance on garden Passiflora in the early 1960s. It seems to have died out by the early 1970s, however. Intolerant of hard freezes, it still managed to survive the record cold snap of 1990 that largely exterminated the Buckeye regionally!"
"This butterfly has no native host plant in California and is entirely dependent on introduced species of the tropical genus Passiflora (Passion Flower, Passion Vine), including the common Maypop (P. incarnata) and P. X alatocaerulea. However, it will not eat all of the Passiflora in cultivation in California."
"In the Bay Area this species can be seen flying any day of the year, if it is warm and sunny enough."
On this day in Vacaville, it was indeed warm and sunny enough: 100 degrees.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Howard Ferris can.
Internationally recognized for his “exceptional, wide-ranging and unparalleled contributions to nematology” over a 64-year career, Ferris is a newly elected Honorary Member of the Society of Nematologists (SON), the international organization's highest award.
Ferris received the well-deserved award at SON's 63rd annual conference, held in Park City, Utah.
“Dr. Ferris has devoted most of his adult life to the field of nematology,” according to the SON statement read at the awards ceremony. “Similar to the ecological concepts that are central to much of his work, his research record of over 200 peer-reviewed publications has created a web of connections that touch a huge number of nematologists across the world.”
The award, first given in 1968, is an honor achieved by only 2 percent of the membership. Ferris, who served on the UC Davis faculty for 36 years, is the 36th nematologist and the third UC Davis faculty member to receive the honor. SON awarded UC Davis professor Merlin Allen (1912-1974) the honor in 1970, and Dewey Raski (1917-2014) in 1988.
"Howard's contributions and dedication to the discipline of nematology are remarkable in their impact,” said UC Davis Distinguished Professor of Nematology Steve Nadler, former chair of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, and a member of the nominating team.
UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Entomology Frank Zalom of the Department of Entomology and Nematology and director of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) for 16 years, and a past president and Honorary Member of the Entomological Society of America, said Ferris is “perhaps the premier IPM research nematologist of our time.”
He developed and continues to maintain Nemaplex and Nemabase, “two of the most important online nematology resources available,” wrote the trio of nominators, Inga Zasada, USDA-ARS research plant pathologist, Oregon State University; Professor Larry Duncan, University of Florida; and Nadler. “It is unlikely that there is a nematologist in the world that hasn't used the online resources that Howard created.”
A curious student or an established nematologist who has forgotten something can find what they need in Nemaplex, which covers all things nematode including taxonomy, methodologies, biology, ecology, management,” the nominators wrote, adding that it is a “virtual encyclopedia of nematodes…There are also online tools for selecting cover crops and making economic threshold decisions.”
Nematology Defined. Ferris defines nematology as "Unsegmented roundworms; they inhabit freshwater, marine and soil environments, in fact almost any environment that provides sources of carbon and water. Many are free-living, feeding on microbes and on small animals and plants and so contributing to critical ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and regulation of communities," Ferris says. "Others are important parasites of plants and animals, including humans. Estimates, although difficult to substantiate, are that 80 percent (4 out of 5) multicellular animals on the planet are nematodes. That is numbers of individuals, not numbers of species.”
Ferris launched Nemaplex in 1987, and since his “retirement,” devotes at least three days each week to developing it and associated databases. The online resource covers the biology, ecology, and management of plant and soil nematodes.
Ferris began his career in nematology as a research scientist for the Tobacco Research Board of Zimbabwe, and then obtained his bachelor's degree in botany and zoology in 1964 from the University of London; his nematology diploma in 1965 from the State Agricultural University, Wageningen, Netherlands; his master's degree in zoology in 1968 from the University of London; and his doctorate in plant pathology in 1972 from North Carolina State University.
Born in England, Howard emigrated with his family to South Africa in 1946 and to Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) in “about 1950.” His family moved to New Zealand six years later, then returned to Zimbabwe in 1958. He finished high school there in 1960.
His first peer-reviewed publication? In 1969. Since then, he's published 221 additional peer-reviewed papers,” his nominators wrote. “More than 30 of his publications have received over 100 citations."
Ferris was elected a Fellow of SON in 1995, served as an associate editor of the Journal of Nematology in the 1980s, and organized SON's 28th annual meeting at Davis in 1989, and SON's 38th annual meeting in Monterey in 1999. He was selected a UC Davis Distinguished Professor in 2012. His other honors include the 1984 Ciba-Geigy Recognition Award for Excellence, presented at the First International Congress of Nematology, Guelph, Ontario, Canada; and the 1983 Dimock Lecture at Cornell University.
He has keynoted symposia in the United States, Scotland, Australia, Brazil, The Netherlands and South Africa, and delivered invited lectures in Belgium, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, and Spain and Mexico, among others. In addition, he has presented international short courses on nematode identification and soil ecology twice in Costa Rica, and also in Nicaragua and Mexico.
“I am honored to have been associated with graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists who have enriched my career and have gone on to be very successful and productive in their own careers as researchers, teachers and leaders in various fields of endeavor,” Ferris said.
What does he do in his leisure time?
“I've been a lifelong-- but very slow--runner which would now be better described as a shuffler,” he joked. In fact, he's run the Comrades Marathon in South Africa several times, and "a few 50 milers in California"--the California International Marathon 20 plus times; and the Western States 100.
He and his wife, Cynthia Hayes, a retired adjunct professor of criminal justice at Sacramento State University and a retired private investigator, reside in Shingle Springs. His goals? “Stay happy and healthy, continue to enjoy UC Davis and to continue to develop Nemaplex!
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology for 34 years until her retirement on Feb. 1, 2024, is among the 17 emeriti featured in a newly released video tribute to emeriti, an annual public service project by UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal.
The 17 featured represent about 20 percent of UC Davis faculty who retired in 2023-24.
Kimsey is a recognized authority on insect biodiversity, systematics and biogeography of parasitic wasps, urban entomology, civil forensic entomology, and arthropod-related industrial hygiene. A UC Davis entomology alumna, she received her undergraduate degree in 1975 and her doctorate in 1979.
Kimsey joined the entomology faculty in 1989 and became the Bohart Museum director in 1990. Although officially retired, she continues her research and as executive director of the Bohart Museum Society. She writes and publishes the quarterly newsletter.
In the video, Leal notes that Kimsey "is an entomologist interested in the systematics of stinging wasps, insect biotic diversity, and urban entomology...she provided insect diagnostics for the public and corporations, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies."
"Her research focused primarily on cuckoo wasps, hornets, and tiphiid wasps, describing more than 30 new genera and 300 new species of wasps. Her fieldwork included biotic surveys of the insect fauna of various desert sand dune systems in California and tropical habitats in Central America and Southeast Asia."
Kimsey served as president of the International Society of Hymenopterists from 2002-2004, and as a member of the board of directors of the Natural Science Collections Alliance in 2000 and 2001. The Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA) singled her out for its highest honor, the C. W. Woodworth Award, in 2020. She received the PBESA Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity Award in 2014 and was a member of "The Bee Team" that won the PBESA Outstanding Team Award in 2013. The UC Davis Academic Senate honored her with its Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award in 2016 in recognition of her outstanding work. And in 2023, CA&ES selected her as the recipient of its Exceptional Faculty Award. She was honored with a 21-insect net salute in April.
In addition to the faculty highlights, Leal included brief messages by Chancellor Gary May, Provost Mary Croughan, and Suad Joseph, the UC Davis Emeriti Association (UCDEA) president. UCDEA interviews and records emeriti who have made "significant contributions to the development of the university." See Video Records Project.
"I know our emeriti are feeling the energy at UC Davis as we prepare to greet our incoming class of students," said Chancellor May in the video transcript. "I want to extend a welcome to all our emeriti professors and encourage you to remain involved in our vibrant campus activity just as you've been such an important part of our success."
Those featured on the video tribute, in order of appearance:
- Stuart Meyers, professor emeritus, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine
- Peter Mundy, emeritus distinguished professor, Department of Education, and the Department of Psychiatry, College of Letters and Science
- Vaidehi Ramanathan, professor emerita, Department of Linguistics, College of Letters and Science
- Scott Simon, distinguished professor emeritus, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Bruce German, distinguished professor emeritus, Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Lynn Kimsey, distinguished professor emerita, Department of Entomology and Nematology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Leonard Abbeduto, professor emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine
- Lynette Hart, professor emerita, Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine
- Frank Sharp, distinguished professor emeritus, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine
- Stephen Wheeler, professor emeritus, Urban Design and Sustainability, Department of Human Ecology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Esther Kim, professor emerita, Eye Center, School of Medicine
- Julia Menard-Warwick, professor emerita, Department of Linguistics, College of Letters and Science
- Mohamed Hafez, professor emeritus, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering
- Geoffrey Schladow, professor emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
- Gail Taylor, distinguished professor emerita, Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Paul FitzGerald, distinguished professor emeritus, Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy and Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, School of Medicine
- Alan Balch, distinguished professor emeritus, Department of Chemistry, College of Letters and Science
Additionally, Leal spotlighted (1) an emeriti “caught on camera” (Geerat J. Vermeij) heading to work two years after his retirement ("to stress how many members of the Emeriti remain engaged in UC Davis affairs"), and (2) UC Davis faculty member (Alan Balch) who broke the record on the number of years of service to the University of California (56 years, which included 52 at UC Davis).
Leal creates an annual tribute to UC Davis emeriti as a public service to celebrate their accomplishments as they enter a new chapter in their lives. It is a zero-budget, one-person production.
Leal launched his first "Tribute to Our New Emeriti," featuring 24 professors from eight colleges and schools who transitioned to emeriti in 2021-2022. (See news story.) The 2022-23 tribute is here. (See news story)
Leal, a member of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology faculty since 2013, is a former professor and chair of the Department of Entomology. He is the first UC Davis faculty member to win all three of the Academic Senate's most coveted awards: in research, teaching, and public service. Leal received the 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award for Undergraduate Teaching; the 2022 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award; and the 2024 Distinguished Faculty Research Award.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
In its larval stage, it's a pest of cole crops.
As an adult, it's like a little Cinderella.
That would be the cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae.
In the fairy tale, a ragged Cinderella lives with her selfish stepmother and two mean stepsisters. Cinderella wants to attend the palace ball, but has nothing appropriate to wear. So her fairy godmother waves a magic wand and transforms her into a beautifully gowned princess, complete with glass slippers. She rides in a magnificent carriage pulled by a team of beautiful horses, dances with the prince, and at the stroke of midnight (when the magic ends), she loses a glass slipper. You know the rest. It all ends with Cinderella and the prince exchanging marriage vows and living happily after.
This butterfly appears in the spotlight every January when UC Davis emeritus professor Art Shapiro hosts his annual "Beer for a Butterfly" contest. Collect the first live butterfly of the year in the three-county area of Sacramento, Yolo and Solano and win a pitcher of beer. (See Bug Squad blog) It's all part of his scientific research long-term studies of butterfly life cycles and climate change.
Meanwhile, we see the cabbage white butterfly fluttering around the garden throughout most of the year, stopping for a little nectar here, a little nectar there.
She still reminds us of Cinderella, with a long flowing gown. Sometimes she looks a little ragged when a predator snatches part of her gown. But her magic never seems to end.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The bees.
When longtime beekeeper and retired teacher Ettamarie Peterson displayed a bee observation hive at the Vacaville Museum Guild's Children's Party, the youngsters, ages 3 to 9, got a taste of what it's like inside a bee colony--along with a taste of honey.
The youngsters singled out the queen bee, worker bees (females) and drones (males). They asked such questions as "Where's the queen?" and "Can they get out and hurt me?" and "How many bees are in there?"
Ettamarie, known as the "Queen Bee of Sonoma County," described the queen and pointed out "Look, she's laying eggs--she can lay 1000 eggs a day."
And she assured them that yes, the bees would be staying inside.
"I like to tell the public how they have a pipe through my barn wall so when they are not visiting events and schools they can fly if they are over three weeks old and then explain how in the spring and summer they live only three or so more weeks and make just a tiny bit of honey," she related. "Another question I usually get asked is if there are more than one queen and then I explain how there can be a daughter queen if the old one is about to die and show the photo of the queen cell with the royal jelly."
As for the number of bees, "Maybe 2000 but I told a guy on Saturday to count their legs and divide by 6!"
Ettamarie taught school for 37 years, has kept bees for 30 years, and has volunteered as the leader of a 4-H beekeeping project for the Liberty 4-H Club, Petaluma, for the past 25 years. Already this year she has caught 19 swarms and given them to the 4-H'ers.
Ettamarie said she "started beekeeping before I retired in 1998 from 37 years of teaching. “My teaching career was mostly in special education, following a few years teaching second and first grade. I became one of the first resource teachers in California back in 1980 after getting my master's degree in special education."
Ettamarie is also a longtime friend and supporter of UC Davis. She delivered a tribute to the late Eric Mussen (1946-2022), a 38-year California Cooperative Extension apiculturist and member of the Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty.
Active in the beekeeping industry, Ettamarie has served as president and treasurer of Sonoma County Beekeepers' Association (SCBA) and currently edits the SCBA newsletter, The Monthly Extractor. She and her husband, Ray (a non-beekeeper), enjoy life on the Peterson Ranch. "We've been married for 65 years and have 3 children, 9 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren! What a wonderful life I have!”
While she chatted with the children and the adults, Dr. George Stock, a retired Vacaville-Fairfield physician costumed in a California Master Beekeeper Program bee suit, handed out honey sticks, gifts from the Z Food Specialty/The Hive, Woodland.
Peterson also shared scientific information (some the work of UC Davis emeritus professor Norm Gary), and a cut-out bee from the Sonoma Farm Bureau. Youngsters delighted in posing for pictures as a bee. They also switched to a butterfly (a cut-out banner of the California dogface butterfly loaned by the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis).
Pamela King and Diana McLaughlin co-chaired the children's party, themed "Fun on the Farm." The activities? The children petted the Vaca Valley Grange animals, blew bubbles, planted seeds, played a ring toss game, created chalk drawings, decorated paper crowns, and engaged with Mother Goose and the Vacaville Public Library staff. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Girls painted faces and the School of Rock presented a live perormance. A special treat: The Vacaville Police Department, Solano County Sheriff's Office and the California Highway Patrol provided them with replica law enforcement badges and other gifts. The CHP fitted the kids with free bicycle helmets.
All in all, it was a buzzworthy event.
