Ongoing research

Through DNA sequencing, UCR entomologist have determined that we have two separate invasions of the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) here in southern California attacking avocados. One invasion in San Diego County and the second in Los Angeles County.

Whether you call them "praying" mantis or "preying" mantis, one thing is for sure: they are difficult to find.

Did you know that it is International Map Year? 2015-2016. The International Map Year (IMY) is a worldwide celebration of maps and their unique role in our world.

Great commentary from Martin Isenburgon of LASTools fame on releasing data with false precision. This deals with the new open data release by the Environment Agency in England.

Sometimes in a world of towering skyscrapers, jumbo jets and warehouses big enough to hold a small planet--or at least a state the size of Rhode Island--we don't realize how small small is. Last weekend it was a veritable insect feast on our narrowleafed milkweed.

The first years of a tree's life are for building a structure for the future. Many varieties of trees are precocious and will bear fruit when they should be building structure.

We just received information on the following event: The Delta Stewardship Council will be hosting a Science Symposium on Invasive Aquatic Vegetation at UC Davis on September 15, 2015. See below for details and go to the DSC event website for the tentative agenda: http://deltacouncil.ca.

Here are the tag clouds from this year's GIS class: the why, how and what of our upcoming semester's projects. Word clouds from Wordle. The Why: what are the key problems class members want to focus on... The How: possible methods we will use... The What: some of the datasets that might be used...

Thank you, Mrs. Monarch. Thank you for laying your eggs on our newly planted narrowleaf milkweed. We planted the narrowleafed milkweed last spring, hoping we could coax you to come.

Yes, it happens. We've heard the stories and read some of the scientific literature about what a female praying mantis will do to her partner during the mating process. Sexual cannibalism. She'll bite the head off of her mate and eat it--but the mating process continues unabated.