It is difficult to accurately estimate yield losses due to armyworm damage. Early infestations that injure only foliage can reduce tillering, delay the crop, and cause uneven maturity. Infestations during heading and grain filling injure the panicle, causing blanks and broken panicle branches.
Oh, oh is there going to be a wet fall and winter? If it comes and washes the accumulated salts of the last four years out of the root zones of citrus and avocado, that's a good thing.
Never say "pipe down" to a pipevine swallowtail. It's a butterfly we treasure. You may have seen it nectaring on your butterfly bush. It's black with blue iridescent upper wings and orange arrowhead-like spots on its inner wings.
Do weed populations change during a drought? Does drought favor certain species? Does annual or perennial species matter? During this four year period of drought in California, have they changed? What are the populations of annual and perennial weeds?
Talk about greed. Talk about gluttony. How much food does a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) need? For 30 minutes, we watched a well-fed banded garden spider catch bee after bee in its sticky web that it had cleverly anchored between two lavender plants.
When reviewing possible problems your citrus might have, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that it is a virus. That's because viruses are a major problem around the world in citrus and the effects can be slow, chronic and debilitating or fast and deadly.
A webmap featured in an article in the High Country News shows where vandalism has been reported most in protected areas across the West since 2013. As the article associated with the map states, the areas most impacted are those closest to urban areas, particularly in the desert parks.
Nobody lost their head today. Oh, in the people world, all across our nation's workplaces, they did. Eyes rolled, tempers flared, outbursts erupted and some angry assailants went into what my ol' journalism professor aptly described as "a blithering rage.
The Monarchs are on the move. In the late summer and early fall, the Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) head for the California coastline or central Mexico to overwinter. "Monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains travel to small groves of trees along the California coast," according to Monarchwatch.org.
