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

Posts Tagged: New York Times

Flight of the Lady Beetle

Have you ever seen a lady beetle, aka ladybird beetle, aka ladybug, take flight? Have you ever photographed it? It's early morning, Aug. 20. A lady beetle is snacking on aphids on our native milkweed plant (where the monarchs are...

A lady beetle prepares for take-off in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A lady beetle prepares for take-off in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A lady beetle prepares for take-off in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The lady beetle unfolds its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The lady beetle unfolds its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The lady beetle unfolds its wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And the lady beetle takes flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
And the lady beetle takes flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

And the lady beetle takes flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, August 22, 2022 at 2:28 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Flight of the Ladybug, The Origami Master

Ladybug, ladybug fly away homeYour house is on fire and your children are goneAll except one, and her name is AnnAnd she hid under the baking pan. So says a traditional nursery rhyme traced back to 1744 when it appeared in Tommy Thumb's Pretty...

This lady beetle, aka ladybug, appears to ponder its next move. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This lady beetle, aka ladybug, appears to ponder its next move. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This lady beetle, aka ladybug, appears to ponder its next move. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Which way to go? Or to go at all? Decisions, decisions. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Which way to go? Or to go at all? Decisions, decisions. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Which way to go? Or to go at all? Decisions, decisions. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The ladybug decides to back up a bit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The ladybug decides to back up a bit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The ladybug decides to back up a bit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Watch me go! A ladybug unfolds its wings and is ready for take-off. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Watch me go! A ladybug unfolds its wings and is ready for take-off. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Watch me go! A ladybug unfolds its wings and is ready for take-off. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

A Spider, a Shadow, a Hello, and a Goodbye

Who doesn't love jumping spiders? They're adorable. No? Well, they are to arthropod enthusiasts, but not so much to their prey. This one (probably a Phidippus audax, a Bold Jumper) was moving slowly and unobtrusively up a shadowed Vacaville stucco...

Well, hello there! A jumping spider moves slowly and unobtrusively up a shadowed Vacaville wall on Jan. 2. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Well, hello there! A jumping spider moves slowly and unobtrusively up a shadowed Vacaville wall on Jan. 2. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Well, hello there! A jumping spider moves slowly and unobtrusively up a shadowed Vacaville wall on Jan. 2. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The jumping spider shows its colors. It's probably a Phidippus audax: the species is black with a distinct irregular orange to white spot on the back of its abdomen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The jumping spider shows its colors. It's probably a Phidippus audax: the species is black with a distinct irregular orange to white spot on the back of its abdomen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The jumping spider shows its colors. It's probably a Phidippus audax: the species is black with a distinct irregular orange to white spot on the back of its abdomen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 5:13 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Natural Resources

Painted Ladies on the Move

The painted ladies are on the move. Have you seen these migratory butterflies, Vanessa cardui, passing through California on their way to the Pacific Northwest? Me? No! Zero. Zilch. Zip. But butterfly guru Art Shapiro, distinguished professor of...

A painted lady, Vanessa cardui, photographed on lantana in Vacaville in 2015. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A painted lady, Vanessa cardui, photographed on lantana in Vacaville in 2015. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A painted lady, Vanessa cardui, photographed on lantana in Vacaville in 2015. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 4:35 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Natural Resources

Tsetse Flies: Who Knew?

Did you read the article in today's New York Times about tsetse flies and the scientists who research them? Totally fascinating. Tsetse fly expert Geoffrey Attardo, a medical entomologist and assistant professor with  the UC Davis Department of...

Close-up of a gravid tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans morsitans). (Photo by Geoffrey Attardo)
Close-up of a gravid tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans morsitans). (Photo by Geoffrey Attardo)

Close-up of a gravid tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans morsitans). (Photo by Geoffrey Attardo)

Medical entomologist Geoffrey Attardo in his office in Briggs Hall, UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Medical entomologist Geoffrey Attardo in his office in Briggs Hall, UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Medical entomologist Geoffrey Attardo in his office in Briggs Hall, UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at 2:24 PM
Focus Area Tags: Economic Development, Environment, Natural Resources, Pest Management

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