Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

The UC Davis Insect Ecology Group has named Arnold Menke's publication on "The Ammophila of North and Central America (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae)" as one of the best papers of 2020.

Schlumbergera commonly known as Christmas Cactus is a small genus with 6-9 species, found in the coastal mountains of southeast Brazil where they grow on trees. A lot of people have this plant with several names, depending on when it blooms.

Meetings and Announcements A Note About Irrigation Winter Pruning of Outdoor Roses - Still Time Rule of the Superbowl Wood Ashes for the Garden and Landscape...

The U.S. is in a strange place. If it weren't enough to have a pandemic we can't seem to get under control because we can't stay away from crowds, now we can worry about what might happen between now and Inauguration Day. I don't know what to make of the assault of the Capitol.

In this issue - * UCCE Madera office moving to new location as of Jan.

UC ANR Strategic Communications' Linda Forbes and Ricardo Vela made a video highlighting many of UCANR's 2020 accomplishments. The video is posted on YouTube at https://youtu.be/9puxX_HAC1s and the script is below.

A "Natural History Note" From UC California Naturalist's new lead scientist, Dr. Cameron Barrows. When scientists underestimate complexity, they fall prey to the perils of unintended consequences.

Interesting case here in the county submitted by a sharp eyed gardener. Canes presented with distributions of an unusual white, roundish mass. In the photos below notice the purplish margin around each of these, but one thing to take note of are the oblong shapes associated with them.

They're out there! Yes, after a l-o-n-g, cold, hard winter, bumble bees are emerging. At least in Solano County. At 11:20 a.m. today (Wednesday, Jan. 13), we spotted a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, foraging on oxalis near downtown Benicia.

Decades of research-based knowledge about the history, physical characteristics and vegetation in California annual grassland, oak-woodland and chaparral ecosystems has been consolidated in a new nine-part PDF document.