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

Posts Tagged: California

Identify and Learn About the 73 Dragonfly Species (Anisoptera) in California

If you're like me, your heart skips a couple of beats when you encounter a dragonfly, especially the fire-engine red flameskimmer, Libellula saturata. Did you know that there are 73 species of dragonflies  (Anisoptera) in...

Kathy Biggs (left) and Sandra von Arb are co-authors of the newly published
Kathy Biggs (left) and Sandra von Arb are co-authors of the newly published "Dragonflies (Anisoptera) of California."

Kathy Biggs (left) and Sandra von Arb are co-authors of the newly published "Dragonflies (Anisoptera) of California."

Dragonfly experts participating in a 2015 Bohart Museum of Entomology open house included (front, from left) Andrew Rehn of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Kathy Biggs, author of dragonfly books, and Sandra von Arb, then a senior biologist at the Pacific Northwestern Biological Resources, McKinleyville, Calif. In back are Rosser Garrison (left), now retired from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas.
Dragonfly experts participating in a 2015 Bohart Museum of Entomology open house included (front, from left) Andrew Rehn of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Kathy Biggs, author of dragonfly books, and Sandra von Arb, then a senior biologist at the Pacific Northwestern Biological Resources, McKinleyville, Calif. In back are Rosser Garrison (left), now retired from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas.

Dragonfly experts participating in a 2015 Bohart Museum of Entomology open house included (front, from left) Andrew Rehn of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Kathy Biggs, author of dragonfly books, and Sandra von Arb, then a senior biologist at the Pacific Northwestern Biological Resources, McKinleyville, Calif. In back are Rosser Garrison (left), now retired from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas.

A flameskimmer, Libellula saturata, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A flameskimmer, Libellula saturata, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A flameskimmer, Libellula saturata, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at 4:22 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

It's Pollinator Month: No Sweat?

In the sweltering heat of Solano County (100 degrees) during National Pollinator Month, how about an image of a sweat bee, genus Halictus, a tiny bee that's often overlooked in the world of pollinators. It's a social bee that nests in the soil....

A sweat bee, genus Halictus, sailing over a Coreopsis in a Vacaville pollinator garden. June is National Pollinator Month. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A sweat bee, genus Halictus, sailing over a Coreopsis in a Vacaville pollinator garden. June is National Pollinator Month. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sweat bee, genus Halictus, sailing over a Coreopsis in a Vacaville pollinator garden. June is National Pollinator Month. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Friday, June 7, 2024 at 11:58 AM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

California Honey Festival: It Was All the Buzz

It was all the buzz. Thousands of bee and honey enthusiasts made a beeline for  the California Honey Festival, held last Saturday on the Yolo County Fairgrounds. The annual festival, relocated this year from the streets of downtown...

Beekeepers Rick Moehrke and Casey Scott of the Sacramento Area Beekeepers' Association answer questions from attendees at the California Honey Festival. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Beekeepers Rick Moehrke and Casey Scott of the Sacramento Area Beekeepers' Association answer questions from attendees at the California Honey Festival. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Beekeepers Rick Moehrke and Casey Scott of the Sacramento Area Beekeepers' Association answer questions from attendees at the California Honey Festival. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Charles McMaster, a U.S. Army veteran from Copperas Cove, Texas, explained what the Hives for Heroes is all about. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Charles McMaster, a U.S. Army veteran from Copperas Cove, Texas, explained what the Hives for Heroes is all about. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Charles McMaster, a U.S. Army veteran from Copperas Cove, Texas, explained what the Hives for Heroes is all about. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Steve Hays, retired sheriff's deputy, Sacramento County and founder of Second Chance Beekeeping Reentry Service, talked about his program and how inmates are learning beekeeping and getting
Steve Hays, retired sheriff's deputy, Sacramento County and founder of Second Chance Beekeeping Reentry Service, talked about his program and how inmates are learning beekeeping and getting "a second chance." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Steve Hays, retired sheriff's deputy, Sacramento County and founder of Second Chance Beekeeping Reentry Service, talked about his program and how inmates are learning beekeeping and getting "a second chance." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Alexis Herbert and Missy Rianda of the Honeybee Discovery Center, Orland, offering bee products. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Alexis Herbert and Missy Rianda of the Honeybee Discovery Center, Orland, offering bee products. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Alexis Herbert and Missy Rianda of the Honeybee Discovery Center, Orland, offering bee products. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Amina Harris, retired founding director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center and now the
Amina Harris, retired founding director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center and now the "queen bee" of her family's Woodland-based Z Food Specialty and The HIVE, offers attendees a taste of honey. She and the City of Woodland co-founded the California Honey Festival in 2017. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Amina Harris, retired founding director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center and now the "queen bee" of her family's Woodland-based Z Food Specialty and The HIVE, offers attendees a taste of honey. She and the City of Woodland co-founded the California Honey Festival in 2017. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)


"Queen Bee" Inna Eyrih of Hawaiian Honey AT&S offers honey samples to attendees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Queen Bee" Inna Eyrih of Hawaiian Honey AT&S offers honey samples to attendees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This man waiting in line at a California Honey Festival booth wears a sweatshirt expressing a message of compassion, unity and love. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This man waiting in line at a California Honey Festival booth wears a sweatshirt expressing a message of compassion, unity and love. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This man waiting in line at a California Honey Festival booth wears a sweatshirt expressing a message of compassion, unity and love. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Family, Food, Innovation, Natural Resources

No Sweat....Just Pollen...

Look closely at a patch of California golden poppies and you may see a sweat bee (genus Halictus) collecting gold pollen. The pollen basket is on the hind legs but you'll see "gold" also dusting the head and abdomen. Native bee, commonly...

A sweat bee, genus Halictus and family Halictidae, collecting pollen from a California golden poppy, the state flower. Both the bee and the flower are natives of California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A sweat bee, genus Halictus and family Halictidae, collecting pollen from a California golden poppy, the state flower. Both the bee and the flower are natives of California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sweat bee, genus Halictus and family Halictidae, collecting pollen from a California golden poppy, the state flower. Both the bee and the flower are natives of California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sweat bee, genus Halictus and family Halictidae, rolling in the pollen of a California golden poppy. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A sweat bee, genus Halictus and family Halictidae, rolling in the pollen of a California golden poppy. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A sweat bee, genus Halictus and family Halictidae, rolling in the pollen of a California golden poppy. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 7:57 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Forecast of Heavy Rain, Wind Changes Location of California Honey Festival

Despite the weather forecast of heavy rain and wind, honey bees will still be "attending" the California Honey Festival. They'll be safe and dry in the bee observation hives. The free and family friendly event, co-sponsored by the University of...

The California Honey Festival will include bee observation hives. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The California Honey Festival will include bee observation hives. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The California Honey Festival will include bee observation hives. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Friday, May 3, 2024 at 4:43 PM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources

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