Bug Blog
Dragonflies! Who Isn't Fascinated by Dragonflies?
Dragonflies! Who isn't fascinated by dragonflies? They're an ancient insect. Their ancestors existed before dinosaurs. Indeed, fossil records show that they were the world's largest flying insects,...
Dragonfly expert Rosser Garrison (far right) leads a discussion. From left are Bohart associate Greg Kareofelas; Bob Stahmer of Stockton, a UC Davis alumnus; and UC Davis entomology graduate student Ziad Khouri, who studies with Bohart director/UC Davis professor Lynn Kimsey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis entomology graduate student Ziad Khouri admiring Rosser Garrison's dragonfly display. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A close-up of the world's largest dragonflies and some of the world's smallest dragonflies, part of the Rosser Garrison collection. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
n front (from left) are Andrew Rehn of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife; Kathy Claypole Biggs of Sebastopol and McCloud, author of dragonfly books; Sandra Hunt-von Arb, senior biologist at the Pacific Northwestern Biological Resources, McKinleyville, Calif. who leads dragonfly workshops in Northern California. In back are Rosser Garrison, California Department of Food and Agriculture; and Greg Kareofelas, Bohart Museum associate. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Broken Wing
Broken Wing belongs here. And that's a good thing, because he won't live long. A male monarch that we've nicknamed “Broken Wing” due to a predator mark, hangs out on our milkweed,...
Monarch butterfly showing signs of a predator encounter. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Broken-winged monarch sips nectar from a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
James R. Carey: Highest Honor for Teaching
The University of California, Davis, prides itself on teaching, research and public service. A few faculty members excel at all three (they're called triple threats) and distinguished professor...
James R. Carey, who joined the UC Davis faculty in 1980, is the recipient of the Entomological Society of America's 2015 Distinguished Distinguished Achievement in Teaching Award. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
From an Egg to a Caterpillar to a Chrysalis to a Monarch
Have you ever seen a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) lay an egg on her host plant, the milkweed? Have you ever seen a close-up of the egg? The larva or caterpillar? The chrysalis? The...
A monarch laying an egg on her host plant, milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a cream-colored monarch egg. Note the oleander or milkweed aphid next to it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A very tiny caterpillar but it's big enough to start eating holes in the leaves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A fifth-instar monarch caterpillar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The jade green chrysalid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Voila! A monarch butterfly has just eclosed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch sipping nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Saga of a Spider's Kill
For more than two weeks now, we've been watching a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) trap and wrap its unfortunate prey (fortunate if you're a spider, unfortunate if you're the prey)...
A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) straddling lavender stems. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What prey is this? It appears to be a huge black bee, a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the prey, which turned out to be a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)