Bug Blog
A Close Call
Butterfly expert Art Shapiro, distinguished professor of evolution and ecology at UC Davis, isn't feeling so well--to put it mildly--but he still went out on one of his butterfly monitoring...
Art Shapiro saw 19 of this species, Pieris rapae, or cabbage white, today at his North Sacramento study site. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Do You Have a Little Land to Spare for the Bee Buffer Project?
Do you have a little land to spare, such as a quarter of an acre or up to three acres? For honey bee habitat? The Pollinator Partnership, as part of its U.S. Bee Buffer Project, wants to partner...
Honey bee on a California golden poppy. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honey bee heading for lupine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Prayers Answered
Praying mantids are, oh, so patient. They perch on a flower, their spiked forelegs seemingly locked in a praying position, and wait to ambush unsuspecting prey. A green praying mantis recently did...
A praying mantis perches on a cosmos. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A strike! First prey is a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Second strike! A fiery skipper butterfly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Helping to Meet Global Challenges Through Evolutionary Biology
Two categories of evolutionary challenges result from escalating human impacts on the planet. The first arises from cancers, pathogens and pests that evolve too quickly, and the second from...
The pink bollworm, a global pest of cotton, has evolved resistance to genetically modified cotton in India, but not in Arizona where farmers have planted refuges of conventional cotton to reduce selection for resistance. (Photo by Alex Yelich, University of Arizona)
Something Was Wrong
Something was wrong. The Anise Swallowtail (Papillo zelicaon) that fluttered into our bee garden last weekend and began nectaring on zinnia wasn't quite herself. Her yellow and black coloring and...
This Anise Swallowtail is missing part of its wing. A predator missed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Anise Swallowtail nectaring on zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Anise Swallowtail about to take flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)