- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
UC Davis entomology major Lohitashwa “Lohit” Garikipati, who will be displaying his praying mantis collection at the Bohart Museum of Entomology during the seventh annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 17, is keenly interested in sharing information about insects.
“Every organism on the Earth has value, and we should respect that,” says Garikipati, a third-year entomology student who rears praying mantises. “Regardless of its appearance, its lifestyle, or its behaviors, all the life that we see here on Earth is the result of change billions of years in the making. There's nothing that is scary, or disgusting; fear is taught, and the sooner we stop fearing and start appreciating, the sooner we can save as much biodiversity on the Earth as we can. It only takes one second to decide you care enough to stop fearing, so why not start now?”
Lohit (pronounced “Lo-Heat”) serves as secretary of the UC Davis Entomology Club, which is advised by forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
“What I like most about mantids, besides their amazing appearance, is how charismatic they are compared to other insects,” says Lohit. “Their behavior varies between species, but all have this awareness that most other insects lack, which make them fun to interact with and study. Their predatory behavior is also interesting.”
Garikipati, a native of Pleasanton, Calif., says he's been interested in praying mantises since elementary school. “I started rearing native species in the 5th grade,” he recalled. “I kept a Mantis religiosa (European mantis) and hatched the ooths she laid. Since then I've had in my collection over a dozen species throughout that time. There wasn't any one species that I ended up consistently rearing, as I would get nymphs, rear them ‘til I got a second generation, then trade or sell them to get a new species. I will definitely be keeping orchids as long as I can though!”
Currently in his collection:
- Two adult female orchid mantises (Hymenopus coronatus)
- A pair of male and female adult Australian rainforest mantises (Hierodula majuscula)
- A pair of male and female 4th instar ghost mantises (Phyllocrania paradoxa)
- A 5th instar female African spiny flower mantis (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii)
- Three third instar Decimiana bolivari (there's no agreed upon common name, but they can be called South American dead leaf mantises, he says).
Lohit traces his interest in all insects to early childhood. “I've had an innate interest in animals in general as long as I can remember, insects just happened to be the most fun and most easy to find and study! The thing that fascinates me most about insects is their massive diversity and the ability insects have to surprise us by breaking what we think an animal can do. For example, wasps photosynthesizing.”
He is interested in enrolling in graduate school, “possibly in Davis--I'm not quite sure yet. Currently, my career plans involve doing research on mantis ecology, as well as updating taxonomy. Many genera need a lot of work and updated descriptions for the species they contain. I would like to be a professor as well!”
When he's not working with insects, Lohit enjoys “playing guitar, going to the gym, or trying to climb the mountain of homework or studying I have!”
Meanwhile, visitors can see learn all about praying mantises--and hold and photograph them--from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Feb. 17 at the Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane. The Bohart, directed by entomology professor Lynn Kimsey, is the home of a global collection of nearly 8 million insect specimens, and a live "petting zoo," comprised of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, stick insects and tarantulas. Also on Feb. 17, highlights at the Bohart Museum will include the 500,000-specimen butterfly/moth collection, curated by entomologist Jeff Smith; and an insect collection display by Smith and fellow Bohart Museum associates Fran Keller and Dave Wyatt from their latest expedition to Belize. "You'll be able to see the tremendous diversity of butterflies, moths and mantids, and talk to the scientists who have just returned from there," said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator. "There will be orchids and orchid bees connecting the Bohart Museum's work with plant biology and science."
The Bohart Museum is one of the 13 museums or collections on campus where visitors can explore “the diversity of life” on Biodiversity Museum Day. All are within walking distance on campus except for the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road and the Raptor Center on Old Davis Road. Set from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event is free and open to the public. Parking is also free. Times will vary from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from noon to 4 p.m..
The following will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Good Life Garden, next to the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Science Institute, 392 Old Davis Road, on campus
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 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, Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane
- Paleontology Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road
- 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
The following will be open from noon to 4 p.m.:
- Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds
- Design Museum, 124 Cruess Hall, off California Avenue
- Botanical Conservatory, Greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive
- 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
All participating museums and collections have active education and outreach programs, Yang said, but the collections are not always accessible to the public. See capsule information about the museums and collections here. 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.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Lots of insects and other arthropods will be among the scores of attractions.
The campuswide event, set from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and free and open to the public, will showcase 13 museums or collections, ranging from hawks to honey bees, and from dinosaur bones to dragonfly specimens. It's all about exploring the diversity of life, says committee chair Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
The following will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
- Arboretum and Public Garden, Good Life Garden, next to the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Science Institute, 392 Old Davis Road, on campus
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Room 1124 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, Academic Surge Building, Crocker Lane
- Paleontology Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building, 434 LaRue Road
- 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
The following will be open from noon to 4 p.m.:
- Anthropology Museum, 328 Young Hall and grounds
- Design Museum, 124 Cruess Hall, off California Avenue
- Botanical Conservatory, Greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive
- 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
Back back to "bugged."
You'll see "bugs" at four sites: the Bohart Museum of Entomology, Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, the Nematode Collection, and at the Design Museum's special exhibition, It's Bugged: Insects' Role in Design.
Bohart Museum of Entomology
The Bohart Museum of Entomology, open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 17, is the home of a global collection of nearly 8 million insect specimens. Highlights will include the 500,000-specimen butterfly/moth collection, curated by entomologist Jeff Smith; display of praying mantises, including orchid mantises, by UC Davis entomology student Lohit Garikipati; and an insect collection display by Smith and fellow Bohart Museum associates Fran Keller and Dave Wyatt from their latest expedition to Belize. "You'll be able to see the tremendous diversity of butterflies, moths and mantids, and talk to the scientists who have just returned from there," said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator. "There will be orchids and orchid bees connecting the Bohart Museum's work with plant biology and science."
Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee demonstration garden next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility, Bee Biology Road, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Activities include catch-and-release bee viewing and making "Feed the Bees" seed cookies. The haven was installed in the fall of 2009. A six-foot-long bee sculpture, Miss Beehaven, by artist Donna Billick, co-founder and co-director of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, anchors the haven. Other art, coordinated by entomology professor Diana Ullman, co-founder and director of the Art/Science Fusion Program, and Billick, also graces the haven. Guests will see bee condos occupied by leafcutter bees and mason bees. Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, has recorded more than 80 different species of bees in the garden. Coordinator: Christine Casey, academic program management officer.
Design Museum
The Design Museum will be open from noon to 4 p.m. in Room 124 of Cruess Hall. Professor Timothy McNeil and curator Adrienne McGraw will staff the exhibit, It's Bugged: Insects' Role in Design, which explores the connections between people and insects. This is a special opening just for Biodiversity Museum Day. (The exhibit opened Jan. 8 and continues through April 22; regular hours are weekdays from noon to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m.) "It's Bugged" includes art from faculty and graduate students. It will include hornet nest paper art and beetle gallery sculptures, both the work of Ann Savageau, professor emerita, UC Davis Department of Design; insect-themed clothing; insect specimens from the Bohart Museum of Entomology and insect photos from UC Davis alumnus Alex Wild, curator of entomology at the University of Texas, Austin. Coordinators: Timothy McNeil, professor, and Adrienne McGraw, exhibition curator.
Nematode Collection
The Nematode Collection will be open from noon to 4 p.m. in the Science Laboratory Building, central campus (off Kleiber Hall Drive). Visitors can expect to see live and preserved nematode specimens. Highlights include the huge jars of whale intestinal worms. Nematodes, also called worms, are elongated cylindrical worms parasitic in animals or plants or free-living in soil or water. They exist in almost every known environment. The many different species eat everything from bacteria and fungi to plant and animal tissue. Coordinator: Corwin Parker, nematology doctoral student.
For further information on the Biodiversity Day, access the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day website for maps and more information, including social media links, Facebook and Twitter, @BioDivDay. There's also capsule information on the Department of Entomology and Nematology website.
Last year's Biodiversity Museum Day drew some 4000 visitors to campus. This year? Many more are expected.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Those were just a few of the offering at the sixth annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, held Saturday, Feb. 18. More than 3000 visitors checked out the offerings.
The free family-friendly, science-based event, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., showcased 12 museums collections, said Biodiversity Museum Day coordinator Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
"It was a real community effort and we were happy to see the people coming to campus to learn about science and the collections," Yang said. Despite the threat of rain, it never occurred.
The Bohart Museum alone drew nearly 1700 people during its four-hour open house, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
All 12 collections were within walking distance on campus except for the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road and the California Raptor Center on Old Davis Road.
The following were open--some from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and others staggered from noon to 4 p.m.:
Anthropology Museum, Young Hall
Arboretum and Public Garden, headquartered on LaRue Road
Bohart Museum of Entomology, Academic Surge Building
Botanical Conservatory, greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive
California Raptor Center, Old Davis Road
Center for Plant Diversity, Sciences Lab Building
Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, Bee Biology Road
Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Academic Surge Building
Nematode Collection, Sciences Lab Building
Paleontology Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building
Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building
Viticulture and Enology Culture Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building
Committee members are already gearing up for the seventh annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. The event traditionally takes place in February.
Meanwhile, many of the same collections will be open during the much larger 103rd annual UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 22. The family friendly event is "free for all to come and experience the richness of diversity and achievement at UC Davis and the surrounding community in the areas of research, teaching, service and campus life," according to the Picnic Day website. "More than 200 events will take place throughout campus and will include exhibits, shows, competitions, demonstrations, entertainment, animal and athletic events, Student Organization Fair, Children's Discovery Fair, parade and much more."
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
You'll see plenty of life and previous life, from bugs to bones--that is, from walking sticks to dinosaur bones. You'll see honey bees--they're vegetarian--and carnivorous plants--they like protein.
You'll see people learning about the 12 museums or collections around the UC Davis campus.
It'll be both educational and entertaining.
The family friendly, science-based event, set from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is free: free admission, free parking, and, of course, free encounters with the scientists. Food will be available for purchase.
The event will "showcase natural history, biodiversity and the cultural-ecological interface," said Biodiversity Museum Day coordinator Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology. All collections are within walking distance on campus except for the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road for the Raptor Center on Old Davis Road.
The following will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
- Arboretum and Public Garden, headquartered on LaRue Road
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Academic Surge Building
- California Raptor Center, Old Davis Road
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Academic Surge Building
- Paleontology Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building
- Viticulture and Enology Culture Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building
The following will be open from noon to 4 p.m.:
- Anthropology Museum, Young Hall
- Botanical Conservatory, greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive
- Center for Plant Diversity, Sciences Lab Building
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, Bee Biology Road
- Nematode Collection, Sciences Lab Building
All participating museums and collections have active education and outreach programs, Yang said, but the collections are not always accessible to the public, Yang said. 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.
To get started, you can download a map on the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day website.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The family friendly, science-based event takes place Saturday, Feb. 18 when 12 museums or collections will be open to the public. It's all free: free admission, free parking, and, of course, free encounters with the scientists.
The event, open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will "showcase natural history, biodiversity and the cultural-ecological interface," said Biodiversity Museum Day coordinator Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology. All collections are within walking distance on campus except for the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road for the Raptor Center on Old Davis Road.
Someone asked: "Are there any special activities for youths ages 6 to 10?"
Yes, lots of activities will interest this age group, as well as other age groups.
For example, you can "pet" walking sticks, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and tarantulas at the live "petting zoo" at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane.
You can marvel at the huge dinosaur bones in the Paleontology Collection in the Earth and Physical Sciences Building on Crocker Lane.
You can see carnivorous plants "swallow" flies and other unsuspecting insects in the Botanical Conservatory, off Kleiber Hall Drive.
You can get up close to hawks and other birds of prey and watch demonstrations at the California Raptor Center on Old Davis Road. You can also check out the Raptor Center museum and even pick apart owl pellets to look for bones.
You can see prehistoric tools and watch demonstrations of flint knapping and atlati throwing at the Anthropology Museum display, Young Hall, central campus.
You can catch bees and other insects in a vacuum device for a catch-and-release activity at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road, and get a close-up view of the queen bee, workers and drones in the bee observation hive.
You can engage in leaf rubbing activities, olive wreath crown making and some interactive activities dealing with erosion control and composting at the Arboretum and Public Garden, headquartered on LaRue Road.
You can also look through the portable Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), borrowed from Hitachi. It will be located in the Academic Surge Building, either in the Bohart Museum or in the Wildlife Room, said Yang.
The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is also a good time for prospective students to learn about possible majors.
The following will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
- Arboretum and Public Garden, headquartered on LaRue Road
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, Academic Surge Building
- California Raptor Center, Old Davis Road
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Academic Surge Building
- Paleontology Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building
- Viticulture and Enology Culture Collection, Earth and Physical Sciences Building
The following will be open from noon to 4 p.m.:
- Anthropology Museum, Young Hall
- Botanical Conservatory, greenhouses along Kleiber Hall Drive
- Center for Plant Diversity, Sciences Lab Building
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, Bee Biology Road
- Nematode Collection, Sciences Lab Building
All participating museums and collections have active education and outreach programs, Yang said, but the collections are not always accessible to the public, Yang said. 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, access the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day website.
