Bug Blog
Worth Their Weight in Gold, Silver and Bronze...
When a story is worth its weight in gold, and a photo is worth its weight in silver and bronze...according to the judges... Two communicators based at the University of California, Davis, and...
This photo of a newly eclosed monarch won a bronze award in the ACE competition. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Got Milkweed? Bees Like It, Too!
The Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, stocks a "Got Milkweed?" t-shirt in its gift shop. In real life, insects "get" milkweed. We all know it's the only host plant...
A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta (aka "teddy bear bee"), heads for the showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. A honey bee is already there. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Three's a crowd? That's how many bees are on this milkweed. One carpenter bee and two honey bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the male Valley carpenter bee's tongue or proboscis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A female Valley carpenter bee arrives to take her share. The male of this species is a green-eyed blond (a clear case of of sexual dimorphism). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Flora and the Fauna at the Old State Capitol
Erected in 1852, this historic building was ostensibly intended for Benicia City Hall. Offered as the state capitol and promptly accepted, it had that honor from February 4, 1853 to February 25,...
A Western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) spreads its wings on the grounds of the Benicia State Capitol. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Gulf Fritilliary (Agraulis vanillae) nectars on lantana on the grounds of the Benicia State Capitol. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A pomegranate tree with double-blossoms graces the grounds of the Benicia State Capitol and draws honey bees and other insects. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Benicia City Hall building was built in 1852, and served as the state capitol from Feb. 4, 1853 to Feb. 25, 1854. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Pollen Power
The conversation usually starts like this: "I saw this huge, huge bumble bee with yellow on its back. It was buzzing like crazy." Often it's not a bumble bee, but the Valley carpenter bee, ...
Gold dust? No, this is pollen covering the thorax of this female Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, nectaring on the passionflower vine (Passiflora). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Pollen from the passionflower vine is brushing against this Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the Gulf Fritillary. Its host plant is the passionflower vine, Passiflora. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Surprising Research Results: What the Microbes in Nectar Revealed
It's surprising what the microbes in nectar can reveal. Take the nectar of the sticky monkeyflower, Mimulus auranticus. UC Davis community ecologist Rachel Vannette and colleague Tadashi...
Researchers studied the microbes in the nectar of the sticky monkeyflower, Mimulus auranticus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)