- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
When you venture into your pollinator garden, look for the beauty, color, diversity and the intensity that surrounds you. You will be astounded.
- A honey bee nectaring on lavender in a soft-pastel scenario.
- A katydid nymph crawling (backlit) on a blanketflower, Gaillardia.
- A Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, nectaring on Lantana
- A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, perched on a Cosmo
- A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, exiting a lavender patch.
You're the gardener, and you'll be using your garden tools...pruning shears, spade, trowel, garden fork, hoe, hand rake...
But another good garden tool--and an indispensable one--is the camera. You just never know when a buddy shows up in the garden...
![A honey bee nectars on lavender in a Vacaville garden. The soft pastel colors almost resemble a painting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A honey bee nectars on lavender in a Vacaville garden. The soft pastel colors almost resemble a painting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107754.jpg)
![A katydid nymph crawls on a blanketflower, Gaillaria. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A katydid nymph crawls on a blanketflower, Gaillaria. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107755.jpg)
![A Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, nectaring on lantana. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, nectaring on lantana. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107757.jpg)
![A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, perched on a Cosmo and looking for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, perched on a Cosmo and looking for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107758.jpg)
![Goodbye! A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, exits a lavender patch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) Goodbye! A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, exits a lavender patch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107759.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Thought for the day...
Every time we see a honey bee "posing perfectly" on a Gaillardia, commonly known as blanket flower, we think of a quote by internationally known honey bee geneticist, Robert E. Page Jr., a UC Davis doctoral alumnus and professor and chair emeritus of the UC Davis Department of Entomology (now the Department of Entomology and Nematology):
"The impact of bees on our world is immeasurable. Bees are responsible for the evolution of the vast array of brightly-colored flowers and for engineering the niches of multitudes of plants, animals, and microbes. They've painted our landscapes with flowers through their pollination activities and have evolved the most complex societies to aid their exploitation of the environment."
That's a passage from his book, The Art of the Bee.It's also featured on his YouTube Channel, https://www.youtube.com/@artofthebee.
Rob obtained his doctorate in entomology in 1980 from UC Davis; joined the UC Davis faculty in 1989; and chaired the Department of Entomology from 1999 to 2004. After retiring from UC Davis in 2004, he accepted an appointment at Arizona State University (ASU) as founding director of the School of Life Sciences. He served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 2011-2013, and provost of ASU from 2013-2015. He is now emeritus. He was recently featured in Legends, American Entomologist. (See UC Davis Department of Entomology website)
Why did Page create the free and accessible-to-all YouTube Channel? Because that's what Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), known as a German geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science, would have done.
It's about making science understandable.
Check out Page's YouTube channel, including:
- Landscape Artists
- Environmental Engineers
- The Social Contract
- Superorganisms
- How to Make a Superorganism
- Song of the Queen
![A honey bee on a blanketflower, Gaillardia, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A honey bee on a blanketflower, Gaillardia, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107498.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Ever seen a honey bee and a butterfly sharing a lavender blossom?
Just in time for National Pollinator Week, June 17-23, we saw this today.
What could be more pollinator friendly than that?
The honey bee, Apis mellifera, and the Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, meet on many a blossom. The butterfly usually flutters away, departing first.
This time the bee left first.
As Pollinator Partnership says on its website:
"Pollinator Week 2024 is a celebration of the vital role that pollinators play in our ecosystems, economies, and agriculture. Under the inspiring theme Vision 2040: Thriving Ecosystems, Economies, and Agriculture, this year's event urges us to envision a future where pollinators not only survive but thrive. These essential creatures, including bees, butterflies, moths, bats, beetles, and hummingbirds, are the unsung heroes behind the food we enjoy and the beauty that surrounds us. As we reflect on the interconnectedness of our world, let's unite in a collective effort to protect and preserve these crucial pollinators. By understanding the impact of our actions on their habitats and embracing sustainable practices, we can pave the way for a flourishing future..."
The bee and the butterfly would agree--if they could agree.
![A Gulf Fritillary and a honey bee sharing the same lavender blossom in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A Gulf Fritillary and a honey bee sharing the same lavender blossom in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107473.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, is foraging on lavender in a Vacaville garden. Abruptly, the bumble bee senses a fast-approaching honey bee, Apis mellifera.
Bombus: "Hey, bee, this is my territory, my lavender, my food."
Honey Bee: "Sorry, I'm just passing by."
Bombus: "Make sure you do that."
Honey Bee: "Well, you don't have to be so grouchy and territorial. There's plenty for everyone."
Bombus: "Just setting the rules."
Honey Bee: "Rules are meant to be broken."
Bombus: "That's not a rule. That's your request. Besides, I'm finished here."
Honey Bee: "So bee it."
![A yellow-face bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, is interrupted by a fast-approaching honey bee as it's nectaring on lavender in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A yellow-face bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, is interrupted by a fast-approaching honey bee as it's nectaring on lavender in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107340.jpg)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
You can visit UC Davis museums or collections, talk to the scientists, and learn more about what makes UC Davis an internationally known science-based university. The free-and-family-friendly event, set Saturday, Feb. 10, features 10 museums or collections. It's a Super Science kind-of-day, and one you won't want to miss!
Your preferred choice transportation will involve your feet (walking) or wheels (bicycle and car to get to campus and the California Raptor Center on Old Davis Road). It won't be the double-decker bus in the graphic below. But isn't it cool? Each of the museums or collections is represented by a passenger on the bus.
Behind the scenes: In 2020, UC Davis biology laboratory manager (and talented artist) Ivana Li was asked for a graphic to help publicize the event, and she came up with a double-decker bus featuring the participating museums and collections. Fast-forward to this year and Caitlen Comendant, an undergraduate design major at UC Davis, and a media intern for the Center for Plant Diversity and the Botanical Conservatory, colorized the graphic and updated it.
In 2022, we wrote this about the double-decker bus: "All aboard! C'mon in, Ms. Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse. Don't sit too close to Mr. Golden Eagle. Buzz in Ms. Honey Bee. Stay away from Mr. Chinese Praying Mantis, Tenoderasinensis. Sorry, but the driver can neither guarantee your safety nor your arrival at your intended destination."
This year all 12 passengers kept their seats, but the event now features 10 museums and collections instead of 12. Not participating this year are the UC Davis Bee Haven (represented by the honey bee) and the Marine Invertebrates Collection (represented by a California sea cucumber).
The passengers depicted, upper level (from left)
- California Raptor Center: Golden eagle
- UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden: Valley oak leaf
- Anthropology Museum: Projectile point
- Botanical Conservatory: Titan arum
- Phaff Yeast Collection: Budding yeast
- Paleontology Collection: Skull
Lower level (from left)
- Bohart Museum of Entomology: Chinese praying mantis, Tenodera sinensis
- UC Davis Bee Haven: honey bee
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology: Salt marsh harvest mouse
- Nematode Collection: Hookworm
- Center for Plant Diversity: Seed cone of a gray pine
- Marine Invertebrates Collection: California sea cucumber (included on bus but this collection will not be included at the Biodiversity Museum Day)
So, is bee is declared safe from the praying mantis? They're still on the bus. (No flora or fauna got eaten or thrown under the bus.)
The 10 museums or collections participating on Feb. 10 and the hours open are:
- Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds, open from noon to 4 p.m.
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Botanical Conservatory, the greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Center for Plant Diversity, Katherine Esau Science Hall off Kleiber Hall Drive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Nematode Collection (part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology), Katherine Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, 10 am. to 2 p.m.
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery and Food Processing facility, Old Davis Road, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Last year some 4,000 visitors learned "about biodiversity through our amazing biological collections," said UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day chair Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
![Passengers on a double-decker bus represent the museums and collections on a double-decker bus. The original art is by Ivana Li, with UC Davis student Caitlen Comendant colorizing it and updating it. Passengers on a double-decker bus represent the museums and collections on a double-decker bus. The original art is by Ivana Li, with UC Davis student Caitlen Comendant colorizing it and updating it.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/104479.jpg)