Rangelands

When you visit a traditional zoo, you might see lions, tigers and bears.

Invasive pest species threaten California's natural environment and can have an impact on public health. Help spread the word about these invasive species and how to limit their introduction, spread, and harm. Learn to recognize these pests and distinguish them from look-alikes.

Good news: roses can be a part of your water-efficient landscape. Lorence Oki, UC Cooperative Extension environmental horticulture specialist in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, identified rose cultivars that remain aesthetically pleasing with little water.

Srdan Tunic, a UC Davis master's degree candidate in art history who researches the life history of noted scientific illustrator Mary Foley Benson (1905-1992), will discuss her work at a free virtual talk, hosted by the Pence Gallery, Davis, from 1 to 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28.

Evolutionary biologist Quinn McFrederick, an assistant professor at UC Riverside, will speak on "The Weird World of Pathogens, Microbes, and Meat-Eating Bees," at a Jan. 18 seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. The seminar will take place at 4:10 p.m.

When you go to Bodega Bay, you may see giggling young beachgoers playfully bury one another in the sand.

If you're a burying beetle, you bury a small carcass, such as a mouse, and use it as a food source for your larvae.

There's "Beatlemania" and then there's "Beetle Mania." One involved the fanaticism directed at the English rock band, The Beatles. The other? It's taking place Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis.

Beetles! And with an exclamation point! That's the theme of the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house, set from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 22 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis campus. It's free, family friendly and open to the public.

Erik Porse joined the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources on Jan. 11 as director of the California Institute for Water Resources.