Rangelands

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Solar energy can be used to protect pollinator habitat, according to a research paper published July 9 in the journal Nature. This is Anthophora urbana, a ground-nesting solitary bee which has a broad distribution including the Mojave Desert. It is a floral generalist collecting pollen and nectar from many species of plants, says UC Davis entomologist Leslie Saul-Gershenz. (Photo by Leslie Saul-Gershenz)
Bug Squad: Article

Pollinator Habitat: Important Part of Solar Energy Study

July 9, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Solar energy should not only be used to benefit global sustainability, but to protect our global ecological systems, including climate, air quality, water and wildlife, says an international team of 16 researchers, including several UC Davis scientists, in a newly published study in the journal Natu...
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Undergraduate biological sciences major Andrew Kisin of the Aldrin Gomes lab, UC Davis Department of Neurbiology, PHysiology and Behavior, tosses a container of water at Bruce Hammock, UC Davis distinguished professor. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Water Warriors Bracing for Bruce Hammock Lab Water Balloon Battle

July 5, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
They're baking in France. The village of Villevieille recorded an historical high temperature of 113.2 degrees Fahrenheit on June 28. The villagers probably wish they were at the University of California, Davis, where plans are underway for the 16th annual Bruce Hammock Lab Water Balloon Battle.
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May the Fourth Be With You: Four honey bees share a rose blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

May the Fourth Be With You

July 4, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"The Redcoats are coming! The Redcoats are coming!" So shouted American Revolutionary patriot Paul Revere during his historical ride. Those who responded to the colonial revolt included my immigrant ancestors: the Keatleys, Laughlins and Agees. They left their farms and took up arms.
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Firecracker Brodiaea flower
UC Environmental Stewards Blog: Article

Nothing lights up the roadside like firecracker brodiaeas

July 3, 2019
Are you guilty of botanizing-while-driving? This pastime is most safely achieved with a flower spotter in the passenger seat. But sometimes, at the peak of wildflower glory, even the safest, most focused driver isn't immune to picking up a flash of bright color.
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A female blue dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis, as identified by Greg Kareofelas of the Bohart Museum, warms itself on a window screen in the early morning. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

The Joy of Dragonflies

July 2, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
If a dragonfly lands on your window screen and rests there for several hours, is that good luck? A female red rock skimmer, Paltothemis lineatipes, did just that. She was several feet from our fish pond and several yards from our pollinator garden. And inches from where we stood.
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Entomologist Norm Smith (center) answers questions about moths at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's Moth Night. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Bohart Museum of Entomology: One Busy Place!

July 1, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
The Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, is one busy place--lots of activities planned this summer and there's a newly announced schedule of summer hours. Moth Night. The Bohart will celebrate National Moth Night: Exploring Night Time Nature on Saturday, Aug.
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UC IPM Staff in 2018 (Credit: Marty Martino)
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

UC IPM Celebrating 40 Years

July 1, 2019
By Tunyalee Martin
The University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Established July 1, 1979 with funding from the California Legislature, UC IPM built upon a growing movement to reduce dependence on pesticides.
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A Gulf Fritillary shares a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) with a hover fly (Syrphid). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Where Are You, Gulf Fritillaries?

June 28, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Where are you, Gulf Fritillaries? The Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) population seems to be diminishing this year around Solano and Yolo counties. A few here, a few there, but not in the large numbers of last year.
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