Rangelands

Last month, I wrote about preparing our ranches for fire (Fire Season is Here: Is Your Ranch Ready?). Since that time, we've seen large fires in ranching country (including the County Fire in Yolo and Napa Counties, the Pawnee Fire in Lake County, and the Klamathon Fire in Siskiyou County).

Originally posted August 26, 2016; edited July 10, 2018 Have you seen big green beetles in your California yard or garden? Or beetles feeding on your roses or other plants? There are many kinds of beetles commonly found in our landscapes, but the Japanese beetle is not one of them.

As the human population on planet earth, now about 7.6 billion people, continues to grow, more will settle in areas prone to wildfire, reported Mary Beth Griggs in Popular Science magazine.

National Moth Week, July 21-29, celebrates the beauty, life cycles and habitats of moths. What's not to celebrate? And you can do so at the University of California, Davis.

Have you ever seen a monarch butterfly eclose? It's a magical moment. First an egg, then a caterpillar, then a chrysalis, and then a butterfly, Danaus plexippus. We took some images of a monarch eclosing back on Sept. 10, 2016. It was late in the season.

If you missed hearing The Entomology Band performing in front of Briggs Hall during the recent UC Davis Picnic Day, not to worry. They're featured in a recent Entomology Today blog, published by the Entomological Society of America (and written by yours truly) and headlined "Bugs and Beat.

Can you distinguish a moth from a butterfly? Ever seen a display of colorful tropical moths? Would you like to observe what species of moths are attracted to light traps?

It's a bird! It's a plane! Is it Superman? No, it's a bird dropping. If you're growing sweet fennel (anise), you may have noticed what appear to be two species of swallowtail butterflies populating your plant.

A flash of orange. Usually we see assorted orange butterflies--Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae) or Painted Ladies (Vanessa cardui) or Monarchs (Danaus plexippus)--on our butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii).

Eight months after devastating fires swept through Sonoma County, our community has rallied to an ongoing recovery. Still, the tragedy of those wildfires remains fresh in the minds of our friends and neighbors. The lives and property that were lost last year can never be replaced.