- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
One of the first butterflies we see in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden in midwinter is the Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta.
Yes, this butterfly overwinters as an adult. It's picture-perfect with black wings, red bands and white spots. And on a picture-perfect day in midwinter, you may see it.
Or as butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus, says on his Art's Butterfly World website: "One of the most frequently seen butterflies in midwinter at low elevation, and often very common in the urban Bay Area, the Red Admiral occurs all around the Northern Hemisphere. It is multiple-brooded, overwinters as an adult, and may undergo altitudinal migration in the Sierra (where it is generally uncommon)."
"The larval hosts are all members of the Nettle family, Urticaceae, including not only the familiar Stinging Nettles (Urtica holosericea and U. urens) but the tiny-leaved ground cover Baby's Tears (Helxine or Soleirolia) in moist, shaded gardens and the climbing urban weed Pellitory (Parietaria) in the Bay Area. The larva is solitary, in a rolled-leaf shelter."
Shapiro has been monitoring butterfly populations in Central California since 1972. And the Red Admiral is just one of them.
If you visit the UC Davis Arboretum a picture-perfect day, you must may get the opportunity to admire the Red Admiral...This one was on a Roldana aschenborniana (Golden Light Senecio).
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
UC Davis third-year entomology student Sol Wantz, an intern at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, president of the UC Davis Entomology Club, and an undergraduate researcher in the Neal Williams' lab, shed light on "Grasshoppers, Crickets and Katydids" when she delivered a presentation at a recent Bohart Museum open house.
Jerusalem crickets, aka "potato bugs," drew the most interest.
The wingless insects, members of the family, Stenopelmatidae, are omniverous, feeding on both plants and animals, Wantz told the crowd. They are ground-dwelling insects found "mostly in North America, some in Asia and Africa," she said, and they include 7 genera and 67 species.
"They have a unique method of sound production," Wantz said. "They thump their abdomen against the ground to produce a surprisingly loud noise. Their thumping patterns can be used to identify their species."
Sol, who grew up in the Bay Area community of Belmont, is the first entomologist in her family. "My parents and brother all love insects, but I am the only one hoping to make a career out of entomology."
Jerusalem Cricket T-Shirt. The Bohart Museum sells a Jerusalem cricket t-shirt in its gift shop, the result of so many queries beginning with "What is that thing?" Kimsey's humorous answer, "basically Vienna sausages with bitey jaws," appears on the shirt. The art is the work of UC Davis student and Bohart volunteer Allen Chew, and the design by UC Davis doctoral alumnus Professor Fran Keller of Folsom Lake College, a Bohart Museum scientist.
Wantz also discussed grasshoppers and katydids. "The katydid genus Supersonus produces the highest frequency sound of any known animal, up to 150 kHz!" she said. "For reference, humans can only hear between 0 and 20 kHz."
Wantz grew up in the Bay Area community of Belmont. "My parents and brother all love insects, but I am the only one hoping to make a career out of entomology." Her parents, Adam Wantz and Patti Leggett-Wantz, were among those attending the seminar.
The Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Bulding, 455 Crocker Lane, is directed by Professor Jason Bond, the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; and associate dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Two-Week Public Closure. Due to staff shortage, spring break, and winter quarter finals, the Bohart Museum will be closed to the public (walk-ins) for the next two weeks, Monday, March 18 through Friday, March 29. Previously scheduled group tours will continue to take place those two weeks. For more information, access the website at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
I did not save a spider today. I did not save one yesterday, either. Or the day before.
That's because I did not see any that needed saving. I frequently see them in our pollinator garden, however, and I always stop to take their image.
Nationaltoday.com tells us: "Save a Spider Day is celebrated on March 14 annually in the U.S. in part to reduce arachnophobia, a fear of spiders, and to conserve spiders. People are usually afraid of spiders, mostly due to their bites which are considered deadly. Although most of the fear is largely unfounded and exaggerated, spiders are incredibly useful to humans as they work as effective pest control among other things. On this day, we look at the many reasons why we should rather trap a spider in a jar and take it outside than kill it. Let us spin webs about spiders and why they should be saved." (See more.)
Did you know that arachnologist Jason Bond of UC Davis is the president-elect of the American Arachnological Society? Professor Bond is the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; associate dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; and the newly announced director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, succeeding UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey.
I remember asking Professor Bond to provide five good reasons why we should love spiders. (He didn't need to convince me!)
He listed these reasons:
- Spiders consume 400-800 million tons of prey, mostly insects, each year. Humans consume somewhere around 400 million tons of meat and fish each year.
- Spider silk is one of the strongest naturally occurring materials. Spider silk is stronger than steel, stronger and more stretchy than Kevlar; a pencil thick strand of spider silk could be used to stop a Boeing 747 in flight.
- Some spiders are incredibly fast – able to run up to 70 body lengths per second (10X faster than Usain Bolt).
- Although nearly all 47,000-plus spider species have venom used to kill their insect prey, very few actually have venom that is harmful to humans.
- Some spiders are really good parents--wolf spider moms carry their young on their backs until they are ready to strike out on their own; female trapdoor spiders keep their broods safe inside their burrows often longer than one year, and some female jumping spiders even nurse their spiderlings with a protein rich substance comparable to milk.
Another good reason is that spiders are...well...beautiful. Check out this gorgeous redfemured spotted orbweaver, Neoscona domiciliorum, or this eye-popping jumping spider from our pollinator garden. It's their garden, too, and I am just a visitor in their habitat.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Who doesn't like "Pink Sugar?"
No, not the sweetener. The brilliantly colored Arctotis "Pink Sugar," also known as a pink African daisy.
"The genus name Arctotis is derived from Greek words 'arktos', which means "a bear" and 'otos' meaning "an ear" with the implication that the scales of the flower and fruit pappus look like the ears of a bear," according to the San Marcos Growers. "The reason for the specific epithet is not clear with the possibility that it come from the Greek word 'stoechas' that refers to a type of mint coupled with 'folia' meaning leaf."
"Pink Sugar" blooms from November through April, and if you're lucky, you'll see a butterfly, bee or a syrphid fly foraging on it.
This blossom below (image taken in Vacaville) drew a syrphid fly.
Syprhid flies, also known as "hover flies" or "flower flies" are good pollinators and predators: many of them prey on aphids and mealybugs. Scientists estimate that there are more than 6200 species of syrphid flies in the world, and more than 3000 in California alone.
They're often mistaken for honey bees.
Syrphid flies are easily distinguished from honey bees. Among the differences: (1) honey bees don't hover, (2) syrphids have only one pair of wings, while honey bees have two (3) syrphids have short, stubby antennae, while honey bees have long, bent antennae called genticulate antennae and (4) syrphids belong to the order Diptera, while honey bees are in the order Hymenoptera.
Maybe we should call a syrphid fly "an honorary bee."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
"Super Science Day" at the University of California, Davis, is a day before the Super Bowl.
The 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb. 10, is a free and family friendly event showcasing 10 museums or collections.
What's to see? What's to do? Should you plan to attend all of them? What would interest toddlers, teenagers and senior citizens?
Tabatha Yang, who chairs the annual event and is a co-founder and serves as the education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology, provides the answers on the Biodiversity Museum Day website:
What is the best way to experience Biodiversity Museum Day? We would suggest picking several collections to visit this year and then return next year to see the others. We intend for people to spend time at each collection instead of racing between them.
I have a toddler. Which collections are suitable for this age group? The Arboretum is outside and a great space for young visitors to explore. The Raptor Center is also outside and has live birds to observe. The Bohart has live insects to pet and the Botanical Conservatory has plants everywhere, but their greenhouses have narrow aisles. Holding or carrying your toddler through the greenhouses is an enjoyable way to take in that collection.
I have a teenager. Which collections are suitable for this age group? Anthropology is open into the afternoon and they have flint knapping and atl-atl throwing. The Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology is also a favorite as they deal with birds, mammals, fish and reptiles and amphibians. The Botanical Conservatory also has a great carnivorous plant collection.
Hidden gems? This is the one day the Phaff Yeast Collection and the Nematode Collection are showcased to the general public. They also have some of the smallest, but mightiest organisms. These scientists are so enthusiastic that you will want to become a microbiologist or a nematologist.
I will be visiting with 9-year-olds to 90-year-olds. Which collections are crowd pleasers? While all of them are, one can never go wrong with fossils at Paleontology and the pressed plants at the Center for Plant Diversity.
Where can we grab a bite to eat? The event map has some options for eating. The dining halls have a set fee and then it is all-you-can-eat. For your convenience there will be a few hot trucks at this event and you are welcome to bring your own food or explore Downtown Davis for other options.
Download the Map! Before you go on campus, download the map, which lists the location of the main information booth, the 10 museums and collections and their hours, the food locations (dining halls and food trucks) are, and the free-to-park parking lots. Sites that are grayed out on the map may not be free. TAPS (Transportation Services) controls the parking, which can be especially busy near the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at 523 Mrak Hall and the UC Davis Health Stadium, known as the football stadium, Health Sciences Drive.)
Here's the list of the 10 museums and collections and brief information from the spokespersons:
Anthropology Museum, noon to 4 p.m.
Located in 328 Young Hall and grounds.
"Anthropology is the study of what makes us human, and it includes understanding our evolutionary history from both a biological and a cultural perspective. Try your hand at flint knapping and learn how our ancestors made stone tools, or you can test your skills at spear throwing using an atlatl. Learn about prehistoric art from caves in France by making your own block print of the animal images. Then take a tour of our museum collections, and our biological anthropology and archaeology labs. Meet our paleoanthropologists and archaeologists working in Alaska, Germany, Belgium, France, South Africa, and Peru. Learn about our archaeological field school on historical cattle ranching."
Habitat Gardens in the Environmental GATEway, adjacent to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Participate in the Meet Your Garden Neighbor personality quiz. Receive a sticker of your wildlife garden neighbor and search the garden for a partner plant that will support that neighbor. Participate in the Habitat Scavenger Hunt. Tour the garden to discover different ways we can provide habitat for urban wildlife in our gardens. Binoculars and hand lens available for observations."
Bohart Museum of Entomology
Room 1124 and main hall of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Home of a global collection of eight million insect specimens. Includes a live petting zoo (Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects, tarantulas and more), and an insect-themed gift shop stocked with t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, jewelry, books, posters, pens and insect collecting equipment. See the beautiful butterfly specimens from all over the world."
Botanical Conservatory
The greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"The Botanical Conservatory houses approximately 4000 different species from all over the world. Included in the collection are carnivorous plants, succulents, tropicals including the corpse plant, and vanilla vine and chocolate tree."
1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road, open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (three miles away from central campus)
"Our non-releasable ambassador raptors can be seen on exhibit, and several of our glove-trained ambassador raptors will be out with their handlers throughout the day. Visitors will have the opportunity to see multiple native raptor species up close and talk to our experts. We are happy to answer questions about birds of prey! Our small on-site museum will also be open with taxidermy specimens and interactive raptor-related activities."
Center for Plant Diversity (Herbarium) Katherine Esau Science Hall off Kleiber Hall Drive, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"We will have plant pressing and mounting demonstrations, looking at flowers under a microscope, an exhibit on plants used for making tea, and collection room tours."
Nematode Collection, Katherine Esau Science Hall, off Kleiber Hall Drive, open 10 am. to 2 p.m.
"We will have preserved specimens of common crops and plants you see in your garden infected with nematodes. We also plan to have live C. elegans to watch how they move through the environment. Come talk to experts in the field and see why worms are cool and you will receive a cool magic worm to take home as well! Our collection will highlight both animal and plant parasitic nematodes,” said graduate student Alison Blundell of the Siddique lab. “We will have mostly all preserved specimens from our nematode collection for the community to look at, and some live free-living (good nematodes) under the microscope for viewing. We hope to inspire people to understand what a nematode is and how they can impact their own lives!"
Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Room 1394, Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"We are offering an in-depth behind-the scenes look at how a specimen goes from a whole carcass to cataloged specimen. Museum staff and interns will be demonstrating specimen preparation curation, cataloging, and bone numbering. A variety of specimen types will be on display and there will be some exhibits with specimens in the main hallway for visitors to enjoy and explore with ourPutah Creek biologists and docents."
Paleontology Collection, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1309 Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road, open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"Visitors can view fossil specimens dating from as old as 550 million years ago to more recent animal skeletons. Paleontology graduate students in invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology will answer questions and provide interesting factoids."
"The Phaff Yeast Culture Collection exhibits will be in the Brewery, Winery and Food Processing (BWF) facility. Come hear about our latest discoveries using more than 1,500 yeast species in the Phaff collection, see and smell many species of yeast, look at yeasts under the microscope, taste kombucha and vegemite, tour the teaching winery and the teaching brewery, and talk with students and scientists who are maintaining and performing research using this world-famous yeast collection. Parking is available in the lots near the Mondavi Center, and signs will direct you to the BWF building."
Special prizes: Jakob Lopes, a third-year animal major at UC Davis and a Bohart intern, will be making 15 to 20 crocheted triceratops and hide them around some of the buildings for folks to find and treasure. A tag reads: "CONGRATS, you found me. Now please take care of me.--Happy Biodiversity Day 2024."