A Butterfly Ballet at a Special Place

The plaque says it all. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The garden that bears her name in the UC Davis Arboretum is Nature at its Best, especially this time of year.

It's better known as the Storer Garden, but a plaque spells out the entire name, "Dr. Ruth Risdon Storer Garden."

It was dedicated to her on her 92nd birthday, on Feb. 25, 1980.

Who was she?

• The first woman physician on the UC Davis campus
• The first woman pediatrician practicing in Yolo County
• A dedicated member of the Friends of the Arboretum
• An alumnus of the University of California
• The wife of Tracy Irwin Storer, a UC alumnus and founding chair of the UC Davis Department of Zoology. Storer Hall is named for him.
• A philanthropist: she and her husband founded the Storer Endowment in Life Sciences.

The plaque also points out that she was "well known for her own beautiful garden and generously sharing their beauty and her knowledge."

Today is Friday of National Pollinator Week. At noon, we headed over to the Storer Garden on Garrod Drive. A graceful and generous lavender butterfly bush--reminiscent of Dr. Storer--was accepting all visitors: six-legged Western tiger swallowtails, monarchs, painted ladies, cabbage whites, honey bees, carpenter bees, bumble bees and assorted two-legged visitors. No reservations needed.

The showy Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) fluttered, floated, sailed and soared. Her brilliant colors--yellow and black with a splash of blue--lit up the garden. No sun needed--not with the glorious colors of the Western tiger swallowtail around.