Bug Squad

 Several years ago, a friend gifted us with some garden art, an owl. Its head does not rotate. Its wings do not move.  It does not scare away birds or squirrels. It does not scare away butterflies, either.Last week a monarch fluttered in our pollinator garden and quickly spotted a milkweed…

   UC Davis alumnus and "entomology ambassaor"Jakob Lopez, who receivewd his bachelor's degree in animal biology in June, drew the rapt attention of fairgoers at the California State Fair's Insect Pavilion, sponsored by the State Fair, California Department of Agriculture, and the Bohart…

 Hold that tiger!When a Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, glides into your yard, it's the next best thing to a monarch. This one took a liking to the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, guareded by male long-horned bees. Very territorial.UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Art…

 Strike up the band!We greeted the first monarch of the year in our Vacaville pollinator garden today. The female arrived at 12: 45 p. m. and laid eggs on five milkweed plants. She sipped a little nectar. A male Gulf Fritillary chased her, a spider eyed her, lady beetles ignored her, and the cat that…

 Joi McNeil's newly created large-scale mural in historic downtown Vacaville is drawing widespread raves--and deservedly so!It not only celebrates the Pony Express Days of 1860-61 and the region's historically renowned fruit orchards, but it showcases the state flower, the California golden poppy; the…