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It was a good day to be a praying mantis. It was not a good day to be a honey bee. Just before noon today, we watched a green praying mantis lurking in the African blue basil, like a camouflaged soldier ready to ambush the enemy.
What's this? A lady beetle, aka ladybug, sharing stories with Gulf Fritillary caterpillars? Well, not likely. The lady beetle (family Coccinellidae) preys mainly on aphids--it can eat about 50 aphids a day or some 5000 aphids in its lifetime.
He's a survivor. His sisters and brothers didn't eat him when he emerged from the egg case. In fact, he probably ate some of his brothers and sisters. He has managed to elude his predators: bats, birds and spiders. Yes, our praying mantis is very much alive and quite well, thank you.
Honey bee guru Eric Mussen is retired but the "R" word isn't stopping him. Mussen, who served 38 years as California's Extension apiculturist, based at the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, has changed the "R" word into a "K" word. "K" for keynote speaker.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation issued news today that is both disturbing and hopeful. Disturbing in that the monarch butterfly population (Danaus plexippus) has declined by more than 90 percent in under 20 years.
Are you on a winning streak? Or a losing streak? Or somewhere in between? The Gray Hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus) is always on a streak--a gray streak.
I have had the pleasure to conduct a variety of experiments, watch numerous management talks and take many classes on the scientific method. During these adventures I've noticed that people seem to misunderstand (or not comprehend the full power of) replication.
From Live EarthquakesWe felt the 6.1 quake here in Berkeley as a long, rolling, continual shimmy. Up in Napa it was considerably more than that. Lots of news about lost wine etc.
Our buddy, the resident praying mantis, appears to be in perfect form. Crouched beneath the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia), he glistens in the early morning light, as honey bees, long-horned bees, Gulf Fritillary butterflies and fiery skippers search for food.
