Foundation Plant Services

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) invites applications for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) program for fiscal year (FY) 2026. The long-term purpose of this call is to help transform the U.S. food and agricultural system to…

 Congratulations to all the entomology award recipients!What wonderful and well-deserved recognition for the entomologists in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and alumni who were named the recipients of three major awards from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America …

 No one has come forth with the first cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, of the year in the three-county area of Sacramento, Yolo and Solano, to win the 2026 Beer-for-a-Butterfly Contest.Not even the sponsor, UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Art Shapiro, who launched the event in 1972--and…

 Coco McFluffin, gone but not forgotten.The much-loved Chaco golden-knee tarantula at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis, crossed the Rainbow Bridge today.She was part of the Bohart Museum's live petting zoo for many years, at least since 2016. The Bohart Museum is better…

 "Most people infected with St. Louis encephalitis virus do not have symptoms," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Those people who do become ill may experience fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and tiredness. Some people may develop neuroinvasive disease, such as…

 Fifteen is not just a number; it's a milestone.So when the 15th annual campuswide UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, a free and family friendly event, rolls around on  Saturday, Feb. 21, it's a very special day. The event will encompass 12  museums and collections.The  event, known…

 Her cup runneth over.Only a select group of people win the Franklin's Bumble Bee coffee cup, and UC Davis alumna  Lesley Hamamoto of Sacramento recently received hers for being named the  winner of the 2026 Robbin Thorp Memorial First-Bumble-Bee-of-the-Year Contest, sponsored by the…

USDA NIFA has released the AFRI Education and Workforce Development funding opportunity aimed at addressing projected workforce shortages across the agricultural, food, forestry, rangeland, and energy resources sectors. This opportunity supports education and training initiatives designed to strengthen the…

 News flash/update: Professor Louie Yang, a community ecologist in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will be the speaker at the Pacific Coast Entomological Society (PCES) meeting at 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 24 in Room 122 of Briggs Hall, University of California, Davis.Yang, whose…

 If you're interested in joining the Pacific Coast Entomological Society (PCES), the first meeting of the year will be Saturday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m. in Room 122 of Briggs Hall, University of California, Davis. Following the meeting, the group will gather at the Bohart Museum of Entomology to learn…

 It's an early sign of spring on the University of California, Davis, when a solo Japanese apricot tree, located north central of Wickson Hall, bursts into full bloom.A plaque reads "Japanese Apricot, Prune mume dawn, planted in honor of Dr. William Tufts, March 7, 1963 by the Landscape Horticulture…

 You won't want to miss this UC Davis seminar on arthropods in landscapes by Stacy Philpott, professor of environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz.Philpott will speak on "Social, Local, and Landscape Drivers of Arthropod Diversity, Traits, and Networks in Urban Agroecosystems" at a seminar hosted by the…

 Ever seen the wooly bear caterpillars at Bodega Head, Sonoma County?UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Richard “Rick” Karban of the Department of Entomology and Nematology has studied the population dynamics of these caterpillars at the University of California Bodega Marine…

 "Biologists have always been fascinated by strife and conflict, but cooperative exchanges, involving all species and networking large numbers of them into complex communities, are ubiquitous in the natural world. This talk will describe our current understanding of mutualism as well as the questions…

 Want to help with migratory monarch research? Entomologist David James, an associate professor at Washington State University (my alma mater), has launched an "E-tag" funding project to determine where monarchs from Idaho migrate--do they head for the California coast to overwinter or to Mexico?…

 The 2026 "Beer-for-a-Butterfly" contest, aka "Suds for a Bug," is still underway. No one has come forth.UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Art Shapiro, who has sponsored the contest since 1972, will trade your live cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, for a pitcher of beer, or its equivalent…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the Environmental Education Grant Program, which supports locally and regionally focused environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship and build environmental knowledge among students, educators, and community members. This…

 "Did you know that in one acre of almond orchard there can be more earthworms than the entire population of Los Angeles? What are they doing down there?"So asks Amanda Hodson, assistant professor of soil ecology and pest management, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematolgy, who will present a…

 Talk about a slugfest.Slugs took a liking to the milkweed in our pollinator garden. They stripped the leaves from one tender young plant and were munching on two other plants--until we dispatched them. We don't think they crossed the Rainbow Bridge. If they did, they left a slimy trail."Sorry,…