Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
University of California
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Posts Tagged: Madagascar

Lawn-pocalypse! Surviving Drought

Ah, summer! The season of sunburns, pool parties, and… lawn droughts. If your once lush, green carpet now looks like a crunchy brown doormat, you're not alone. Let's dive into why your yard is staging a dramatic death scene and what you can do to...

Bermuda grass and weeds overtaking drought stressed turf grass.
Bermuda grass and weeds overtaking drought stressed turf grass.

A patch of former lawn, mostly dead, with a few green weeds and Bermudagrass

Posted on Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 3:30 PM
Tags: drought, turf
Focus Area Tags: Yard & Garden

Booking Insects at Vacaville Public Library: Bring 'em On!

It's so quiet at times that you can almost hear a bee buzz or a walking stick walk or a Madagascar hissing cockroach hiss.  The audience, ranging from toddlers to teens to senior citizens, are inside the the Vacaville Public Library. Some...

The Bohart Museum of Entomology  insect presentation fascinates these youngsters at the Vacaville Public Library. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Bohart Museum of Entomology insect presentation fascinates these youngsters at the Vacaville Public Library. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Bohart Museum of Entomology insect presentation fascinates these youngsters at the Vacaville Public Library. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How many of you like insects? Hands shoot up at the Bohart Museum presentation at the Vacaville Public Library. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
How many of you like insects? Hands shoot up at the Bohart Museum presentation at the Vacaville Public Library. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How many of you like insects? Hands shoot up at the Bohart Museum presentation at the Vacaville Public Library. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum of Entomology's education and outreach coordinator, discusses the diversity of insects to a diverse crowd. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum of Entomology's education and outreach coordinator, discusses the diversity of insects to a diverse crowd. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum of Entomology's education and outreach coordinator, discusses the diversity of insects to a diverse crowd. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tabatha Yang hands out insects from the Bohart Museum of Entomology's petting zoo to eager youngsters. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Tabatha Yang hands out insects from the Bohart Museum of Entomology's petting zoo to eager youngsters. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Tabatha Yang hands out insects from the Bohart Museum of Entomology's petting zoo to eager youngsters. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Madagascar hissing cockroach draws attention. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Madagascar hissing cockroach draws attention. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Madagascar hissing cockroach draws attention. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

One of the most popular insects: a Great Thin Stick Insect (Ramulus nenatodes). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
One of the most popular insects: a Great Thin Stick Insect (Ramulus nenatodes). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

One of the most popular insects: a Great Thin Stick Insect (Ramulus nenatodes). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Eager hands await their turn. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Eager hands await their turn. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Eager hands await their turn. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A pre-schooler takes an image of an insect with a borrowed cell phone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A pre-schooler takes an image of an insect with a borrowed cell phone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A pre-schooler takes an image of an insect with a borrowed cell phone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A line of viewers at the display of the Bohart Museum's pinned specimens, gathered from all over the world. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A line of viewers at the display of the Bohart Museum's pinned specimens, gathered from all over the world. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A line of viewers at the display of the Bohart Museum's pinned specimens, gathered from all over the world. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Grace Murray, 13, relaxing with a stick insect. Her mother, Kristen Murray, is a children's librarian. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Grace Murray, 13, relaxing with a stick insect. Her mother, Kristen Murray, is a children's librarian. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Grace Murray, 13, relaxing with a stick insect. Her mother, Kristen Murray, is a children's librarian. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 5:05 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Family, Innovation, Yard & Garden

Climate-Change Resources

University of California UC ANR Green Blog (Climate Change and Other Topics) https://ucanr.edu/blogs/Green/index.cfm?tagname=climate%20change (full index)

Examples:

     -  Save Trees First: Tips to Keep Them Alive Under Drought https://ucanr.edu/b/~CdD 

     - Landscaping with Fire Exposure in Mind: https://ucanr.edu/b/~G4D

     - Cities in California Inland Areas Must Make Street Tree Changes to adapt to Future Climate  https://ucanr.edu/b/~oF7

 
 

Drought, Climate Change and California Water Management Ted Grantham, UC Cooperative Extension specialist (23 minutes) https://youtu.be/dlimj75Wn9Q

Climate Variability and Change: Trends and Impacts on CA Agriculture Tapan Pathak, UC Cooperative Extension specialist (24 minutes) https://youtu.be/bIHI0yqqQJc

California Institute for Water Resources (links to blogs, talks, podcasts, water experts, etc.) https://ciwr.ucanr.edu/California_Drought_Expertise/

UC ANR Wildfire Resources (publications, videos, etc.) https://ucanr.edu/News/For_the_media/Press_kits/Wildfire/ (main website)

      -UC ANR Fire Resources and Information https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/ (main website)

            -Preparing Home Landscaping https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Prepare/Landscaping/

UC ANR Free Publications https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/ (main website)

- Benefits of Plants to Humans and Urban Ecosystems: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8726.pdf

 -Keeping Plants Alive Under Drought and Water Restrictions (English version) https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8553.pdf

  (Spanish version) https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8628.pdf

-  Use of Graywater in Urban Landscapes https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8536.pdf

-  Sustainable Landscaping in California https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8504.pdf

 

Other (Non-UC) Climate Change Resources

Urban Forests and Climate Change. Urban forests play an important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Active stewardship of a community's forestry assets can strengthen local resilience to climate change while creating more sustainable and desirable places to live. https://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/urban-forests

Examining the Viability of Planting Trees to Mitigate Climate Change (plausible at the forest level) https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2927/examining-the-viability-of-planting-trees-to-help-mitigate-climate-change/

Reports and other information resources coordinated under the auspices of the United Nations and produced through the collaboration of thousands of international scientists to provide a clear and up to date view of the current state of scientific knowledge relevant to climate change. United Nations Climate Action

Scientific reports, programs, action movements and events related to climate change. National Center for Atmospheric Research (National Science Foundation)

Find useful reports, program information and other documents resulting from federally funded research and development into the behavior of the atmosphere and related physical, biological and social systems. Search and find climate data from prehistory through to an hour ago in the world's largest climate data archive. (Formerly the "Climatic Data Center") National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA)

Think tank providing information, analysis, policy and solution development for addressing climate change and energy issues (formerly known as the: "Pew Center on Global Climate Change"). Center for Climate & Energy Solutions (C2ES)

Mapping Resilience: A Blueprint for Thriving in the Face of Climate Disaster. The Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) was launched in July 2010 and is managed by EcoAdapt, a non-profit with a singular mission: to create a robust future in the face of climate change by bringing together diverse players to reshape planning and management in response to rapid climate change. https://www.cakex.org/documents/mapping-resilience-blueprint-thriving-face-climate-disaster

Cal-Adapt provides a way to explore peer-reviewed data that portrays how climate change might affect California at the state and local level. We make this data available through downloads, visualizations, and the Cal-Adapt API for your research, outreach, and adaptation planning needs. Cal-Adapt is a collaboration between state agency funding programs, university and private sector researchers https://cal-adapt.org/

Find reports, maps, data and other resources produced through a confederation of the research arms of 13 Federal departments and agencies that carry out research and develop and maintain capabilities that support the Nation's response to global change. Global Change (U.S. Global Change Research Program)

The Pacific Institute is a global water think tank that combines science-based thought leadership with active outreach to influence local, national, and international efforts to develop sustainable water policies. https://pacinst.org/our-approach/

Making equity real in climate adaptation and community resilience policies and programs: a guidebook. https://greenlining.org/publications/2019/making-equity-real-in-climate-adaption-and-community-resilience-policies-and-programs-a-guidebook/ 

Quarterly CA Climate Updates and CA Drought Monitor Maps (updated each Thursday) https://www.drought.gov/documents/quarterly-climate-impacts-and-outlook-western-region-june-2022

 

 

 

 

Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 1:21 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment

UC Davis Team Heads Genetic Analysis of Newly Discovered Kite Spider Species Observed Lekking

Two UC Davis spider experts played a key role in analyzing the genetics of a newly discovered kite spider in Madagascar that is drawing worldwide attention for its lekking behavior, the first known observation of lekking in spiders. In lekking, certain...

Colonial Isoxya manangona n. sp. from Andasibe, Madagascar. (a) A part of a colony with 79 spiders in 41 webs (image shows 23 webs). (b) A detail from another colony where females are in their individual webs (image shows 14 of the 16 webs in the colony) while males hang on line in between webs (image shows 12 males). (c) A detail of another colony showing male leks. These males showed no overt intrasexual aggression that would be typical of solitary spiders. (Insect Systematics and Diversity)
Colonial Isoxya manangona n. sp. from Andasibe, Madagascar. (a) A part of a colony with 79 spiders in 41 webs (image shows 23 webs). (b) A detail from another colony where females are in their individual webs (image shows 14 of the 16 webs in the colony) while males hang on line in between webs (image shows 12 males). (c) A detail of another colony showing male leks. These males showed no overt intrasexual aggression that would be typical of solitary spiders. (Insect Systematics and Diversity)

Colonial Isoxya manangona n. sp. from Andasibe, Madagascar. (a) A part of a colony with 79 spiders in 41 webs (image shows 23 webs). (b) A detail from another colony where females are in their individual webs (image shows 14 of the 16 webs in the colony) while males hang on line in between webs (image shows 12 males). (c) A detail of another colony showing male leks. These males showed no overt intrasexual aggression that would be typical of solitary spiders. (Insect Systematics and Diversity)

Posted on Thursday, April 6, 2023 at 12:31 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources

Hissers: Big, Bold and Beautiful

Madagascar hissing cockroaches, aka hissers, are big, bold and beautiful. Just ask the scientists at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis, who rear them in their petting zoo. They show them at their open houses, including the recent...

Finn Jensen, 2 1/2, awaits the placement of a Madagascar hissing cockroach in his hand. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Finn Jensen, 2 1/2, awaits the placement of a Madagascar hissing cockroach in his hand. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Finn Jensen, 2 1/2, awaits the placement of a Madagascar hissing cockroach in his hand. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Connected! A Madagascar hissing cockroach and Finn Jensen meet. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Connected! A Madagascar hissing cockroach and Finn Jensen meet. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Connected! A Madagascar hissing cockroach and Finn Jensen meet. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Finn Jensen beams in delight as he holds the Madagascar hissing cockroach. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Finn Jensen beams in delight as he holds the Madagascar hissing cockroach. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Finn Jensen beams in delight as he holds the Madagascar hissing cockroach. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Finn Jensen's smile tells it all as he cradles the Madagascar hissing cockroach. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Finn Jensen's smile tells it all as he cradles the Madagascar hissing cockroach. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Finn Jensen's smile tells it all as he cradles the Madagascar hissing cockroach. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 4:14 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources

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