News & Information Outreach

Winter is peak citrus season, and a time when many people gift their home-grown fruit to friends and loved ones. This holiday season, we would like to remind everyone that harmful invasive pests can move to new areas on citrus fruit. There are several active quarantines in California aimed at slowing the…

Blog by Karen Metz We had another opportunity to visit the Oregon Gardens in Silverton, Oregon.  We had never visited the gardens this late in the fall.  This visit was also special because we were able to enter the garden several hours before the general public arrived.  The fog had just…

Nearly everyone, from well-meaning beginners to experienced outdoor gardeners, has struggled at one time or another with a houseplant that seemed determined to die. Understanding the four basic needs of all houseplants can not only give you the knowledge you need to care for these plants, but also help you…

 These designs showcasing the 15th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day will "draw you in."The BioDiv Committee recently sponsored a design contest and selected the two winners. They are....drum roll...Haylie Wilcox, a first-year master's degree student in the lab of Professor Neal Williams, a…

Blog by Michelle KrespiI have grown plants from the Calathea genus before, so I was used to the variety of leaf patterns this group exhibits. What drew me to this particular plant was how painterly the leaves are. The common name sums it up, Rose-Painted Calathea. Each leaf is a work of art, as you can see…

As a follow-up to our earlier communication regarding the temporary internal hire prioritization process implemented in response to the SNAP-Ed funding loss, we want to provide an update as we prepare to transition back to our standard open recruitment requirements. The temporary internal-priority process…

Transition to Organic Webinar SeriesWednesdays • January 14 – March 18, 2026 • Free virtual seriesHosted by CAFF, UC Organic Agriculture Institute (UC OAI), and UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE)Thinking about transitioning your crop operation to organic? Join us for a ten-week webinar series designed to guide…

     From the soil up, conservation projects rely on the people whose experience and knowledge of what works turn an idea into practice. The San Mateo Resource Conservation District (RCD) created the Nature Champion Award to recognize such individuals. On December 12th, the RCD presented…

 A sweet collaboration!The California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP), based at UC Davis, and The HIVE Tasting Room and Kitchen in Woodland, have joined forces--sweet forces--to present two courses at The Hive:  the first is The Science of Honey Tasting  from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on…

Miku by Mike Gunther Three days preparingMany hands; craft, cut, trim & boxSuccessful wreath workshop   

By Janice Mathews, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.Healthy soil is not just dirt under our feet.  It is a living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans.Healthy soil has four components.  About 25 percent is air, allowing soil organisms to return essential nutrients to the soil while…

 Who's speaking at the winter seminars hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology?Marshall McMunn, coordinator of the seminars for the 2025-26 academic year, has announced the "spring list."All seminars will take place at 12:10 p.m. on Wednesdays  in 122 Briggs Hall. They also…

 What exciting research--fitting overwintering monarch butterflies with the newly developed ULTRALIGHT solar-powered radio tags to monitor their movements.Senior conservation biologist Emma Pelton of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation today announced in a news release that “Scientists are…

Blog article by Cindy YeeAbout 5 months ago, I purchased a Taiwanese guava tree and Ningxia goji berry plant from a home grower in Fremont, California.  She has all 5-star ratings on Facebook Marketplace and was very helpful with advice on how to care for them. Happy to say that both plants are…

The new year is just around the corner, and along with it will come new Urban and Community IPM Webinars! Join us every third Thursday of each month from 12:00 to 1:00pm PST to learn about a wide range of urban pest management topics. This series is free and open to the public but advance registration is…

It’s cold outside! But that doesn’t have to stop you from gardening. Why not cheer up the dark days of winter by planting some herbs on a sunny windowsill indoors, and using them in your cold weather soups and stews?

 Science matters. Science beckons. Science fulfills.The California All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (CalATBI) is organizing a 2026 Student Insect Collection BioBlitz, a statewide community science effort to document our state's biodiversity.Organizers related:The goal: "To document California’s insect…

 Firefighters on the 2019 Kincade Fire in northern California. Photo by Faith KearnsBy Faith KearnsThe 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa, California is memorable for many reasons, including the almost unbelievable way this wildland fire pushed into neighborhoods and leapt across Highway 101. It is also the…