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Mint moth (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

How Moths Differ from Butterflies

July 18, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

How do moths differ from butterflies?Scientists at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis answered question and displayed both moths and butterflies at their recent Moth Night, in observation of National Moth Week, July 19-27. Bohart associates Jeff Smith, curator of the Lepidoptera collection and…

A crowd begins to gather around the blacklighting demonstration. (Photo by Kristy Vasquez)

Article

How Many Species of Moths at Bohart Museum's Moth Night?

July 17, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Curious minds want to know.How many species of moths did scientists detect in the blacklighting demonstration at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's annual Moth Night, held Saturday, July 12?"We caught a total of 11 moths at the light sheet--five species in five different families," said Bohart Museum…

Members of the National Academy of Sciences penned a letter to Congress about the proposed budget cuts. UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal created a video showcasing the letter.

Article

Raising the Alarm About Science Budget Cuts

July 16, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Breaking News: More than 1,218 members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), including 61 Nobel laureates and 46 recipients of the National Medal of Science, this week signed a letter urging Congress to reject the FY26 science budget cuts that threaten U.S. leadership in science, health, and…

Tobacco hornworm gently placed in a hand. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

My Turn to Hold the Hornworm

July 15, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

"My turn to hold the hornworm!"Youth and adults alike clamored to hold the tobacco hornworms at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's Moth Night.While attendees held the hornworms, other hornworms munched on a tomato plant. A display sign about Metamorphosis in the Garden read:"Tobacco hornworms …

Gulf Fritillary spreading its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

The 'Passion Butterfly'

July 14, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

That "passion butterfly," the Gulf Fritillary...Ever watched a Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, touch down on its host plant, the passionflower vine, Passiflora? Ever seen two Gulf Frits sipping nectar from a single passionflower blossom? We remember what UC Davis Distinguished Professor…

White Witch at the Bohart Museum of Entomology

Article

The Witch Is In: At the Bohart Museum's Moth Night

July 11, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It's not Halloween yet, but you'll see a "witch" at the annual Moth Night hosted by the Bohart Museum of Entomology on Saturday, July 12.A White Witch, that is. It's the legendary moth, Thysania agrippina, from the family Erebidae. It's also called the Ghost Moth, Great Gray…

Lorquin's admiral. (Photo by Marilyn Sexton)

Article

Admiring the Lorquin's Admiral

July 10, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What a delight to see!When Fairfield resident and butterfly aficionado Marilyn Sexton spotted on her patio a butterfly that she'd never seen before, she grabbed her cell phone and took some images and a video.Brown-black wings, each lined with a row of white spots. Orange tips on the forewings. …

Leafcutter bee on stem. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

Buzzwatch 2025 Underway

July 8, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What's buzzing? What's fluttering? What's crawling?Planet Bee Foundation is encouraging all folks interested in native bees and native pollinators to join its Buzzwatch 2025, which it launched June 1 during National Pollinator Month and will continue through Aug. 31."Use iNaturalist to document native…

Tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

Ever Held a Tobacco Hornworm?

July 8, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Ever held a tobacco hornworm?You can when the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis hosts its annual "Moth Night" open house on Saturday, July 12. It takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. and it's free and family friendly, Parking is also free.Bohart Museum scientists will be displaying, among other live…

Ranchman's tiger moth. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

Like a Moth to a Flame...

July 7, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Like a moth to a flame...That typifies the attraction of folks who plan to attend the Bohart Museum of Entomology's annual "Moth Night" on Saturday, July 12. The open house, set from 7 to 11 p.m., is free and family friendly. Just head over to Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker…

A soldier beetle sunning itself on a yellow rose petal. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

Just Soldiering On...

July 4, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

The British are coming! The British are coming!The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere?No, just soldier beetles, family Cantharidae, scrambling for aphids.Soldier beetles are so named because they sport a color pattern reminiscent of the British soldiers who battled The Thirteen Colonies (then known as "Great…

Stink bugs on a zinnia in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

Stink Bugs Suck

July 3, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

It seems like a good day to post images of stink bugs..We spotted a pair of stink bugs on our zinnias "keeping busy" today.They suck. Truly.Stink bugs are shield-shaped sucking insects, family Pentatomidae, and California is home to more than 50 stink bug species. How did they get their name? When…

Attack on Science blog

Article

Illuminating the Attack on Science

July 2, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

If you missed the July 1st UC Davis-based webinar, "Beyond the Headlines: The Invisible Power of Academic Research in America," featuring Nobel Laureate Randy Schekman of UC Berkeley and other Nobel Laureates and two dozen other scholars, not to worry.The webinar is on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Tq5…

Photo by Yulia Khlebnikova of a bowl of blueberries

Article

Funding Opportunities for Applied Research in Forestry, Fire Science, and Blueberry Production

July 2, 2025

By Kendra T Rose

We are pleased to share several new funding opportunities that may be of interest to UC ANR researchers. These opportunities support applied research in forest products innovation, fire science, and California blueberry production. Each program is designed to advance sustainable practices, strengthen…

A stick insect at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis.

Article

A UC Davis Scientist's Thoughts About the Future of Science

July 1, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

You may know UC Davis Professor Jason Bond of the Department of Entomology and Nematology,He's the Evett and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair of Insect Systematics; the director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology; associate dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,…

UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal

Article

The Nobel Laureates and 'The Invisible Power of Academic Research'

June 30, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Federal funding of scientific research in our academic institutions is in jeopardy, but interest is swelling for the UC Davis-based webinar, “Beyond the Headlines: The Invisible Power of Academic Research,” set from 1 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, July 1 (Pacific Time).Today UC Davis Distinguished…

Gobabeb Desert Research and Training Center

Article

UC Davis Doctoral Student Iris Quayle to Study Darkling Beetles in Africa

June 27, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

UC Davis doctoral student Iris Quayle of the Department of Entomology and Nematology is heading to the Namib Desert of southwestern Africa in October to do research on darkling beetles.And she could not be more excited.Quayle, advised by Professor Jason Bond—he is the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed…

Banded alder borer on leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

What's That Bug?

June 26, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

What's that bug?If you're painting your house, a mural, or your vehicle, you have a better chance of seeing it.Vacaville artist Joi McNeill, who is painting a mural on a building in the 300 block of Merchant Street, Vacaville, saw one today. She's working on a mural that includes the Old Town Hall, a…

A Gulf Fritllary butterfly on a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Article

The Insects of Summer

June 25, 2025

By Kathy Keatley Garvey

Some folks consider mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches and other pests as "the insects of summer."No, the "insects of summer" include a flame skimmer dragonfly perched on a bamboo stick, a honey bee foraging on a blanket flower, a lady beetle (aka ladybug) devouring aphids, and a Gulf Fritillary…

Controlled Burn Training

Article

Cal Fire Wildfire Prevention Grants Program

June 25, 2025

By Kendra T Rose

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is now accepting proposals for its Wildfire Prevention Grants Program which funds local projects that focus on increasing the protection of people, structures, and communities. Activities include hazardous fuels reduction, wildfire…

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