Rangelands

When Irish eyes are smiling, it could be... St. Patrick's Day is approaching or A green insect is nearby If you've ever seen the female metallic green sweat bee, Agapostemon texanus, or the sand wasp, Bembix americana, you can't help but think about the "Wearing of the Green.

If you're a graduate student at the University of California, Davis, you can enroll in a newly announced spring quarter course, "The Science of the Monarch Butterfly," taught by Art Shapiro, distinguished professor of evolution and ecology. But if you're not a graduate student? You're in luck.

It's a gathering of UC Davis entomologists--from students to graduates to faculty to retired faculty. The third UC Davis Entomology Alumni Reunion is set Sunday, March 31 through Tuesday, April 2. Most of the events will take place in the Walter A.

The UC Davis Entomology Alumni Reunion will take place Sunday, March 31 through Tuesday, April 2. Most events will take place in the Walter A. Buehler Alumni Center. Co-chairing the event are Will Crites (bugkiller@aol.com) and Arnold Menke (waspman@cableone.net).

Spring seminars hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology will range in topics from fruit flies to spider glue to an African odysssey. The seminars, coordinated by medical entomologist/assistant professor Geoffrey Attardo, will all take place at 4 p.m.

Targeted grazing using sheep, goats, or cattle (or combinations of two or more species) can be an effective way to manage vegetation for a variety of goals.

They study bees, ants, fruit flies and spider flies. And that's just a small portion of what they do. And what a difference they're making! Four UC Davis entomologists won awards from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA).

I usually enjoy life and growing things as a farmer, however I was excited in the recent weeks to see the remains of something most definitely dead; owl pellets under an artificial nesting site. After a couple barn owl boxes were installed last year, I have eagerly awaited their occupation.

Who doesn't love that "bolt of blue," the pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor? A black butterfly with iridescent blue hindwings, it's a frequent visitor to our garden, where it nectars on such plants as the butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii, the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia), and sage (Salvia).

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology won four major awards from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America (PBESA), which encompasses 11 Western U.S. states, plus several U.S. territories and parts of Canada and Mexico.