Posts Tagged: wildlife
Saving California's Bumble Bees: Become a Citizen Scientist
The late Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor of entomology, would have been proud of the California Bumble Bee Atlas and its conservation plans. Professor Thorp (1933-2019), a 30-year member of the Department of Entomology and Nematology and a worldwide...
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, foraging on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, foraging on foxgloves. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, foraging on a rose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, foraging on a lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bombus crotchii foraging in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. It has been named an endangered species due to the impacts of pesticides, climate change, and human development. (Photo by Allan Jones)
Applications Due March 21 for UC Davis Bio Boot Camp
If there are youngsters in your life who love insects, birds, and all things nature, tell them about the UC Davis Bio Boot Camps. The deadline to submit an application is 11 p.m., Monday, March 21. To apply, students must write a letter about why they want to attend Bio Boot Camp. Letters of...
Butterfly collections, like the Morpho displays, are a popular attraction at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bio Boot Camp participants will learn about the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology specimens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Robbin Thorp Would Have Been Proud
The late Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor and a tireless advocate of pollinator species protection and conservation, would have been proud. Franklin's bumble bee, Bombus franklini,--a bee that he monitored for decades until his death in 2019--is now...
The late Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor, kept his image of Franklin's bumble bee as his screensaver image on his computer. He last saw the bee in 2006 at Mt. Ashland, and was the last known person to see the pollinator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Robbin Thorp, an expert on pollinators, including bumble bees, co-authored these two books in 2014. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Look-at 'Cats
They were the "Look-at-Cats." The feral cats on our farm (the progeny of strays dropped off by "imperfect" strangers) became known as "The Look-at-Cats." You couldn't touch, pet or hold them. You could feed them, though, and spay or neuter them--if you could catch them. And you could name them,...
A male monarch on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
No Federal Protection for the Monarch Butterflies
Yes, monarch butterflies qualify for the Endangered Species list. But no, we can't protect them because we don't have the money. That's the gist of what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) said today. USFWS director Aurelia Skipwith announced in a news release: "We...
A monarch butterfly nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male monarch spreads its wings as it nectars on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Monarchs overwintering in the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, in 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)