As a child, Tom Hammock captured, sketched and released dragonflies, damselflies and wasps.

His interest in “all things bugs” stemmed from his entomologist father, Bruce Hammock, now a distinguished professor at the University of California, Davis.

It was not just entomology and art, though, that interested Tom. He listened attentively to the southern folklore and childhood memories that his father, reared in the Deep South, shared:
Black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck; a mischievous pet raccoon named Willy; the comings and goings of a scientist operating a biological supply company in a swamp; and
the ever-present will-o’-the-wisp lighting up Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Swamp.

Tom Hammock not only drew it all in; he made it his own and then some.

Entomology and art, pyramided with writing, landscape architecture, film production and storytelling, evolved into an original graphic novel, “An Aurora Grimeon Story—Will O’ the Wisp,” authored by Tom Hammock, illustrated by his friend Megan Hutchison and edited by Rebecca Taylor.

“It’s about wicked delights and dark things,” said Tom, “and it has a girl-science component.” In fact, it is billed as the first graphic novel with a strong girl scientist as the main character.  The publisher, Archaia, will release the book Jan. 28. It is already drawing rave reviews, including “This book shows the beginning of fine careers as creators of stories.”

It has already been nominated for "best young adult graphic novel" award from the American Library Association.

The Hammock-Hutchison novel is the first of a planned trilogy starring a 12-year-old orphan, Aurora Grimeon, who goes to live with her grandfather on Ossuary Isle, a cemetery island in a southern swamp. Her grandfather, Silver, operates a biological supply business in the basement of a mansion,providing universities with skeletons, venoms and “various other unsavory things,” Tom says. Aurora works with him.

“Almost no one writes for girls and almost no one writes for girls dealing with girls and science,” Tom said. “Graphic novels for girls are rare and have a tough road in the publishing world.”

Assorted bugs, including butterflies, scorpions, fireflies, mosquitoes, beetles and spiders, find their way into the book. So does a pet raccoon named Missy, patterned after Bruce’s childhood pet, Willy.

“As a parent, it is always interesting to see what your kids pick up in their childhood,” said Bruce Hammock, a Little Rock, Ark. native who graduated in 1969 from Louisiana State University (LSU) and then obtained his doctorate in entomology/toxicology from UC Berkeley. “I think my Willy stories were recreated in the tale about Aurora.”

Aurora’s last name is Grimeon, named for one of Bruce’s LSU roommates, Jim Grimeon. “I am so thrilled that so much of this history,” Bruce said, “has resurfaced in Tom’s book.”

Aurora, accompanied by Missy the raccoon, explores the fog-shrouded island as “ghostly things happen and residents disappear,” Tom said. Aurora follows a will ‘o’ the wisp, an eerie blue light floating several feet off the ground. “The will-o’-wisp is a natural phenomenon,” Tom said. “It’s actually a natural swamp gas.”

Aurora uses science and hoodoo to uncover secrets “better left uncovered,” said Tom. He defines the hoodoo that weaves throughout the novel as “a blend of Native American, Northern European and West African traditions.”

Quipped Bruce: “I never knew that my family in Arkansas practiced hoodoo—I thought everyone ate black-eyed peas, hog jowl and burned a bayberry candle on New Year’s Day. We still do.”

Bruce and his wife, Lassie, reared their three offspring to love nature. “The Atchafalaya certainly is as much a wilderness as the Sierra Nevada with islands that move with the tides, different cultures, and a rich biological diversity—much of which bites,” said Bruce, who holds a joint appointment with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Tom has always had a love of biology and landscape,” Bruce said. “He was always sketching nature in his childhood. He could not stand to kill insects for his high school insect collection so instead, he made exquisite drawings of insects that he captured.”

Tom, a 1994 graduate of Davis High School, initially studied biology at UC Berkeley and then switched to landscape architecture. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture, he left Berkeley to study film design at the American Film Institute. He then went on to work in such film productions as “Breaking Bad,” “Dexter,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” He is now involved in the hugely popular young adult and horror film genre.

“At first I wanted to be a scientific illustrator,” Tom said. He took private art  lessons from Mary Foley Benson of Davis, former chief USDA scientific illustrator at the Smithsonian Natural History. Her work graces Bruce Hammock's office in Briggs Hall and in a conference room.

Tom’s family and friends say that his upbringing—exposure to biology, art, landscape architecture, storytelling and movie production—strongly influences his current work. “In his book and his movies, one can see the theme, that the landscape sets the mood,” Bruce said. “Certainly the Atchafalaya swamp sets a mood in their book as it does in some of the writings of William Faulkner.”

The Hammock family is a three-doctorate family. In addition to Bruce the entomologist, son Bruce (UC Davis doctorate), is an aquatic entomologist in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and daughter Frances (UCLA doctorate), is a mathematician in San Diego.

Tom, known for his sense of humor, wrote in his biography published on Oscillary Isle website: “My father studies venoms, insects and other odd creatures. As such, most family vacations were spent in the wilderness, often hunting for previously said creatures and their venoms. I've lived a number of places around the world including, but not limited to Australia (home of many venomous creatures) and England (home of not so many venomous creatures.)"

"Presently I live in Hollywood where I drink tea and design films when I'm not writing graphic novels."  Some of the films he’s designed include “You're Next,” “All The Boys Love Mandy Lane,” and “V/H/S 2.”

Tom’s parents, Bruce and Lassie, appeared in a 2013 movie that Tom directed and produced. The film, as yet untitled, is expected to be released sometime this year.

“I watched a lot of movies in my childhood,” said Tom, who remembers growing up without a TV or with a black and white TV in high school. One of his favorite films?  “Blade Runner.”

Tom recalls working on the film, Dexter, and blowing up a boat. “Then when we arrived at the airport they wouldn’t let us on the plane because of the residue on our hands.”

Meanwhile, Tom Hammock and Megan Hutchison are excited about the graphic novel and pleased with the design. It resembles a diary, complete with lock, and is printed with a gold foil-embossed hard cover. “It looks as if it belongs in Silver’s old library of curiosities,” Tom said.

They are also growing increasingly fond of their adventuresome, strong and science-loving character, Aurora. They are eagerly looking forward to Part 2 of the trilogy.

So are the fans. One online comment: “"OMG!! This was so good. I hope and hope and hope there will be more!!!!"

Another commented: "I love Aurora and everything about this story. The art is fantastic. 10 out of 10.”

Others described it as “deliciously moody,” “impressively creepy” and “a blend of macabre and whimsy (which) makes for some fun and unexpected reading.”

Looking back, entomologist Bruck Hammock said: "Tom was always interested in landscape, art, and biology.  However, film and graphic novels are so far from my background I never saw this as a career path.  In retrospect it is obvious."

For more information:
Website: http://www.ossuaryisle.com
Book Trailer: http://www.ossuaryisle.com/trailer.html
Preview, PDF: http://ossuaryisle.com/preview.pdf
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ossuaryisle
Preview by Comic Book Resources: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=18246
Goodreads.com: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18125353-will-o-the-wisp
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Will-Wisp-Aurora-Grimeon-Hammock/dp/1936393786
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZf1wJDMSG0
Trending tweets: #WILLOtheWisp

DAVIS--Steven Naranjo, Center director and research entomologist of the USDA-ARS (Agricultural Research Service),  Arid-Land  Agricultural Research Center in Maricopa, Ariz., will speak on "Biological Control and the Transformation of Cotton IPM" at the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar from 12:10 to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 29 in 122 Briggs.

"Crop protection in cotton against arthropod pests has historically been  mono-tactical and dominated by the use of broad-spectrum insecticides," Naranjo says. "It has also been known for a long time that cotton harbors a rich community of natural  enemies, particularly generalist arthropod predators, which have the capacity to suppress numerous pests. Here, I will focus on advances in the Arizona cotton system, which has enabled biological control to become a critical tactic in IPM and driven insecticide use to historical lows."

"A key element has been the deployment of integrated control, an innovative concept introduced over 50 years ago by a group of UC entomologists that calls for the interplay of chemical and biological control for pest management. I will provide an overview of a large research effort involving classical and conservation biological control, selective insecticides, transgenic cotton, and decision aids that have transformed cotton IPM and provided a rare example of true integrated control."

Naranjo, as the director of the Arid-Land  Agricultural Research Center, oversees a broad research program focused on crop production and protection of arid-land crops. He is internationally recognized for his research in insect sampling and decision aids,  integrated pest management (IPM), conservation biological control, insect population  ecology, and environmental risk assessment of transgenic crops. He is president of the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America.

He  received his doctorate in entomology in 1987 from Cornell University, his master's degree in entomology in 1983 from the University of Florida, and a bachelor's degree in 1978 in zoology from  Colorado State University. He has authored more than 200 scientific papers, books, and book chapters, technical reports and extension bulletins, and has presented more than 100 invited papers and seminars at professional conferences, symposia, and  academic institutions. 

Naranjo served as co-editor-in-chief of the international journal, Crop Protection, from 1995-2006 and currently serves as subject editor  for Environmental Entomology, covering the topic area of transgenic plants and insects. 

Naranjo holds an adjunct appointment in the University of Arizona's Department of Entomology. He has recevied numerous awards and honors, including the UDSA-ARS Early Career Scientist of the Year; the C. W. Woodworth Award from the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA); and the ESA Recognition Award in Entomology. In addition, his team won the Entomological Foundation IPM Team Award.

List of Winter-Quarter Seminar Speakers

Six biological museums will open their collections to the public at the third annual  UC Davis Biodiversity Day, set Saturday, Feb. 8.

The event, to be held from noon to 4 p.m., will showcase collections of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, the Botanical Conservatory, the Center for Plant Diversity, the Anthropology Collections, and the Paleontology Collections.

It's an opportunity to see "see carnivorous plants, touch fossils, learn about birds and hold insects," said Tabatha Yang, outreach and education coordinator at the Bohart Museum. More than 1000 people turned out for this event last year. 

Free and open to the public, it's a family friendly event. Parking is free as well.

See Bohart website for map.

DAVIS--While 49’er fans everywhere are gearing up for Sunday’s NFC championship game with the Seattle Seahawks, UC Davis forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey and his UC Davis Entomology Club are heading for Alcatraz for “rat patrol.”

And “millipede patrol.” And “powderpost beetle patrol.”

Kimsey, whose fly research on the island led to his nickname, “The Fly Man of Alcatraz,” will be leading 16 club members Saturday on an overnight insect/arthropod collecting tour, deploying insect light traps. They also will be surveying the rat population that threatens the bird sanctuaries on the island.

The project encompasses all of Saturday and part of Sunday. “Some in our group want to get back early so as not to miss the game,” said Kimsey, a faculty member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the club’s advisor.

Kimsey knows that the Seattle team’s bird moniker is “Seahawks,” but he’s more interested in other birds--the birds in the island’s rookeries and the “The Bird Man of Alcatraz” (Robert Stroud)-- than in who’s throwing the pigskin.

“I’m not a football fan,” Kimsey acknowledged.

A UC Davis “rat patrol” in February of 2012 led to the discovery of a fluorescent millipede, a common arthropod but previously unknown to exist on the island. After National Park Service employees fed rats a bait laced with fluorescent, non-toxic dye, Kimsey and the club members began searching for fluorescent rat feces.

Initially, they didn’t find the rat feces, but club member Alex Nguyen, now a third-year entomology major, found a fluorescent millipede and showed it to Kimsey.

Had it consumed some of the rat bait? No. An experiment at the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus showed that these millipedes (Xystocheir dissecta (Wood) glow under ultraviolet or black lights, just like scorpions.

Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and UC Davis professor of entomology, suspects that the millipedes on Alcatraz Island originated from soil transported over from the nearby Angel Island when “The Rock” was just that—rock with little or no soil.

The species is relatively abundant in the Bay Area. “This particular species of millipedes glowed all along, but nobody was paying any attention to it,” she said.

Nguyen is now doing research in the Bruce Hammock lab on the florescent millipedes. He wants to know what compound makes the millipede fluoresce under a UV light.

This will be Nguyen’s fourth overnight trip to The Rock. “I’m very excited to return,” he said.

The former maximum-security federal penitentiary once housed some of the country's most  notorious inmates including not only “The Bird Man of Alcatraz” but Al “Scarface” Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Arthur “Doc” Barker.

Robert Kimsey does research on the nuisance flies that plague staff and tourists on Alcatraz. He became involved in the fly project in July 2007 when he received a call about the annoying flies from entomologist Bruce Badzik, integrated pest management coordinator with the National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Since then, they have worked on a number of projects involving UC Davis Entomology Club members.

So while the 49’ers and Seahawks collect first downs, touchdowns and field goals, entomologists Robert Kimsey and Bruce Badzik and the UC Davis students will be collecting millipedes, beetles and other arthropods.

And doing “rat patrol.”