Ongoing research

Two posts today to share news about the 66th annual meeting of the Western Society of Weed Science (WSWS) last week in San Diego. This first post will have links to WSWS news and information: WSWS webpage: http://www.wsweedscience.org/ WSWS-sponsored publications: http://www.wsweedscience.

Dr. Tom Lanini was made a Fellow of the Western Society of Weed Science (WSWS) in March 2013 at the annual meeting in San Diego. Tom is a Cooperative Extension Weed Ecologist in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis.

That should be easy to do. There's so much to say. One hour.

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Sahara mustard, a resilient weed native to North Africa and the Mediterranean, is invading desert landscapes in the American Southwest, squeezing out beautiful wildflower displays that attract tourists and maintain the local ecology, reported the San Diego Union Tribune.

It was a perfect St. Patrick's Day--not just for the wearing of the green, but for the wearing of the orange. The Gulf Fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) arrived in our yard Sunday afternoon, March 16 and deposited an egg, just like E. Bunny will do soon.

Efficient and precise irrigation management is becoming increasingly important inCaliforniaagriculture, both for maximizing crop quality and for conserving water.

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It's a sure sign of spring when we see "the teddy bear bee." Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, calls the male Valley carpenter bee (Xylocopa varipuncta) "the teddy bear bee." An apt description, to be sure.

Bagrada bug has an interesting scientific name - Bagrada hilaris. This bug is native to Africa and the genus probably represents the ancient Bagradas River in North Africa. Species name hilaris' means cheerful, merry or joyful in Latin.