Ongoing research

Two icons, the American flag and the monarch butterfly, are flying high today. The American flag, or "Old Glory," symbolizes our democracy. The 13 stripes represent the 13 colonies that declared--and won--independence from Great Britain. The 50 stars in the field of blue denote our 50 states.

What a delight to see. We strolled through milkweed patches in the UC Davis Arboretum Thursday noon and saw them. Monarchs! The monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are returning from their coastal California overwintering sites. And we're getting new generations.

I have set up seven armyworm pheromone traps in the Sacramento Valley, and Michele Leinfelder-Miles is monitoring one trap in the Delta. Last year the traps showed a distinctive peak mid August, when worms started causing problems during heading.

A recent letter which followed a farm visit to another grower and finally a phone call about planting an avocado tree from another grower. The basics of planting are often overlooked and we should revisit them to make sure we know how to do the basics.

Did you know that monarch butterflies use a circadian clock to navigate to their overwintering sites during their seasonal long-distance migration? Yes, they do, says a Texas A&M researcher.

Talk about pollen! The bumble bees, Bombus vandykei (as identified by Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis), were buzzing all over the Phacelia last week on the central campus.

Are you a local sheep and/or goat producer, 4-H or FFA member, or someone who is interested in learning more about sheep and goats? Do you have questions about disease prevention, nutrition, or vegetation management using sheep and goats?

The proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Huanglongbing (IRCHLB V) is now published, available and citable online through the Journal of Citrus Pathology: http://escholarship.org/uc/iocv_journalcitruspathology Included are: Meeting Agenda Published Abstracts Joseph (Josy) M.

Big Red visited us for four consecutive days. The red flameskimmer dragonfly, Libellula saturata, zigged and zagged into our pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif. and perched on a bamboo stake for five hours at a time.

Was happy to hear a Cap Public Radio story this morning about poison hemlock (Conium maculatum). I had some thoughts on the report. 1) Poison hemlock is not native to Nevada, as the story suggested... it's a European weed (think Socrates). Maybe the writers heard "naturalized".