Master Gardeners of Ventura County
University of California
Master Gardeners of Ventura County

Bug Blog

Jeff Smith: Busy as a Bee? No, As Industrious as a Lepidopterist

Busy as a bee?  No, as industrious as a Lepidopterist.  Specifically, as industrious and dedicated as Jeff Smith, curator of the moth and butterfly collection at the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology--a collection that an international...

Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's Lepidoptera collection, chats with visitors at an open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's Lepidoptera collection, chats with visitors at an open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's Lepidoptera collection, chats with visitors at an open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Legendary Lepidopterists Paul Opler (left) and Robert Michael Pyle, founder of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, chat during the international Lepidopterist Society’s 68th annual conference (2019) that included visits to the Bohart Museum. Opler, who died last year, considered the Bohart Museum Lepidoptera collection
Legendary Lepidopterists Paul Opler (left) and Robert Michael Pyle, founder of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, chat during the international Lepidopterist Society’s 68th annual conference (2019) that included visits to the Bohart Museum. Opler, who died last year, considered the Bohart Museum Lepidoptera collection "The Bold Standard" of Lep collections. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Legendary Lepidopterists Paul Opler (left) and Robert Michael Pyle, founder of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, chat during the international Lepidopterist Society’s 68th annual conference (2019) that included visits to the Bohart Museum. Opler, who died last year, considered the Bohart Museum Lepidoptera collection "The Bold Standard" of Lep collections. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 5:39 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation

Saga of the Spider and the Bee

(Continued from the July 13th Bug Squad) Our resident crab spider, family Thomisidae, appears to be an extremely poor hunter.  She waits, camouflaged in the lavender patch, as bees buzz around her. They dart away when she lunges at...

The resident crab spider nails a honey bee, as another bee continues to forage in the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The resident crab spider nails a honey bee, as another bee continues to forage in the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The resident crab spider nails a honey bee, as another bee continues to forage in the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A freeloader fly (family Milichiidae, probably genus Desmometopa), invites itself to dinner. No reservations required. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A freeloader fly (family Milichiidae, probably genus Desmometopa), invites itself to dinner. No reservations required. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A freeloader fly (family Milichiidae, probably genus Desmometopa), invites itself to dinner. No reservations required. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

As the resident crab spider eats its prey, another honey bee arrives to forage on the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
As the resident crab spider eats its prey, another honey bee arrives to forage on the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

As the resident crab spider eats its prey, another honey bee arrives to forage on the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, July 15, 2024 at 5:11 PM
Tags: crab spider (22), Desmometopa (3), freeloader fly (4), honey bee (245), lavender (36), Milichiidae (6)
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

The Spider and the Bee

A crab spider,  family Thomisidae, lies motionless in a patch of lavender, waiting to ambush a honey bee.    So here I am, a crab spider, as hungry as can be Does anyone out there feel sorry for me? "Yes," say the...

A crab spider lies in wait, as a honey bee nectars on a lavender blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A crab spider lies in wait, as a honey bee nectars on a lavender blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A crab spider lies in wait, as a honey bee nectars on a lavender blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee takes flight, out of reach of the crab spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The honey bee takes flight, out of reach of the crab spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The honey bee takes flight, out of reach of the crab spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You missed me, Mr. Crab Spider. You missed me. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
You missed me, Mr. Crab Spider. You missed me. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

You missed me, Mr. Crab Spider. You missed me. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Friday, July 12, 2024 at 7:32 PM
Tags: crab spider (22), honey bee (245)
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

The Secret Life of a Blister Beetle

Blister beetles (family Meloidae) are so named because they emit a poisonous chemical, cantharidin, that can blister your skin. Don't even think about touching them! Blister beetles can infest alfalfa hay, and are toxic--even...

A blister beetle (family Meloidae) eating pollen from the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A blister beetle (family Meloidae) eating pollen from the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A blister beetle (family Meloidae) eating pollen from the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 10:18 AM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Our Buddies in the Garden

When you venture into your pollinator garden, look for the beauty, color, diversity and the intensity that surrounds you. You will be astounded. A honey bee nectaring on lavender in a soft-pastel scenario. A katydid nymph crawling (backlit) on a...

A honey bee nectars on lavender in a Vacaville garden. The soft pastel colors almost resemble a painting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee nectars on lavender in a Vacaville garden. The soft pastel colors almost resemble a painting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee nectars on lavender in a Vacaville garden. The soft pastel colors almost resemble a painting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A katydid nymph crawls on a blanketflower, Gaillaria. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A katydid nymph crawls on a blanketflower, Gaillaria. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A katydid nymph crawls on a blanketflower, Gaillaria. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, nectaring on lantana. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, nectaring on lantana. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, nectaring on lantana. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, perched on a Cosmo and looking for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, perched on a Cosmo and looking for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, perched on a Cosmo and looking for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Goodbye! A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, exits a lavender patch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Goodbye! A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, exits a lavender patch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Goodbye! A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, exits a lavender patch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 8:57 PM
Tags: bumble bee (40), bumble bee (40), butterfly (22), Cameras (1), garden tool (1), honey bee (245), insects (79), katydid nymph (4), pollinator garden (29), praying mantis (140)
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

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