Test PB Collection: FTE

Quick, what's the California state insect? Umm, does California have a state insect? The Monarch? The Western Tiger Swallowtail? The Red Admiral? Wait, isn't this National Pollinator Week? Should I know what the state insect is? Yes, it is National Pollinator Week.

It's the first day of summer and the beginning of National Pollinator Week. What could be better? This: Spotting a Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) sail through the pollinator garden and touch down on a butterfly bush (Buddleia).

Treevix (saflufenacil) is now labeled for use in California on pomegranates thanks in part to the Western Region IR-4 Project and the UC Davis Weed Science Program.

I used to think that you could not add enough mulch into an orchard and cause any harm. Well, I've been proved wrong a number of times.

Where have you been? For the last several weeks, we've been watching for signs of the first seasonal monarch caterpillar on our narrow-leafed milkweed. The lush leaves refused to yield any secrets. They looked untouched, undisturbed and intact.

Don't miss Clyde Elmore's photo exhibit Our Great Outdoors. If you attend Weed Day 2016 (July 7, 2016) you'll get a chance to see the exhibit. Our Great Outdoors July 8-Sept. 2, 2016 Buehler Alumni Center, UC Davis There will be a reception from 4-7 PM on July 8, 2016. Clyde Elmore clelmore37@gmail.

Oh, that cuddly teddy bear. The male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, also known as "the teddy bear bee," comes around occasionally to nectar our broadleaf milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, in our pollinator garden.

Avocado Heat Advisory Temperatures are forecast to be in the triple digit range throughout much of the southern California avocado growing region beginning Sunday June 19 and extending into Tuesday June 21.

In the past week, many growers and PCAs have identified fields infested with armyworms. The size of these worms is small, ranging from first to third instars. The amount of defoliation they cause at these stages is small.

We just met a male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus. It was early morning and he was resting on a blanket flower (Gaillardia), a brilliant member of the sunflower family. When you're a bee, a blanket flower offers both bed and breakfast. Gaillardia was named after M.