Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

Primary Image
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosenenskii, foraging on oxalis near the Benicia State Capitol grounds on Jan. 13, 2021. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

In Search of the First Bumble Bee of the Year

December 29, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
What are you doing on New Year's Day? Well, weather permitting, you can begin searching for the first bumble bee of the year in the two-county area of Yolo and Solano. If you photograph it and you are judged the winner, a prize awaits you--in addition to bragging rights.
View Article
Primary Image
Praying mantis: "I'm hungry! What's to eat?" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

To Catch a Cabbage White...On a Wing and a Prayer

December 28, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
To catch a cabbage white butterfly... It was early October and a gravid praying mantis, almost ready to deposit her ootheca, was hungry. She crawled behind a cactus in our yard, waiting for prey. It did not take long.
View Article
Primary Image
In flight, a cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, heads for lantana. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Entomology & Nematology News: Article

Beer-for-a-Butterfly Contest Begins Jan. 1

December 28, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
When the annual Beer-for-a-Butterfly Contest, hosted by UC Davis distinguished professor Art Shapiro as part of his scientific research, gets underway on Sunday, Jan. 1, it will be of special interest.
View Article
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County: Article

Program Coordinator Dawn Kooyumjian Welcomes Class of 2023

December 27, 2022
by David George I was honored with the opportunity to interview Dawn Kooyumjian, the Coordinator of both the Alameda and Contra Costa Countys UC Master Gardener programs for this special Class of 2023 issue.
View Article
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County: Article

When You Meet Them

December 27, 2022
Be sure to say hello to our wonderful new group of trainees, the Class of 2023. They have taken the time to introduce themselves to us with, what must be for them, painfully brief bios, but nonetheless packed with information about their lives and their passions.
View Article
Primary Image
NewClassTrainingTeam
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County: Article

Classroom Training Team

December 27, 2022
Thank you to Class of 2023 Classroom Training Team...
View Article
Primary Image
A cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, nectaring on catmint (Nepeta) in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Beer-for-Butterfly Contest Set; Why It's of Special Interest This Year

December 27, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
UC Davis distinguished professor Art Shapiro's annual Beer-for-a-Butterfly Contest, in which he trades a pitcher of beer (or its equivalent) for the first-of-the-year cabbage white butterfly collected in a three-county area, is of special interest this year.
View Article