Kings

Poison hemlock, Conium maculatum, was brought from Europe into the U.S. as an ornamental in the 1880s and now occurs throughout North America. In California it is most commonly found at lower elevations and coastal regions but it is continuing to spread into other areas.

What a match--honey bees and pomegranate blossoms. Watching the golden bees forage amid the brilliant red blossoms in the late afternoon is a delight to see, especially when the sun backlights them. The ancient fruit, native to Iran, is one of the world's first cultivated fruits.

The timeworn water tower that stands in front of the Giacomazzi Dairy in Kings County is a hallmark of the farms endurance. It proclaims, Since 1893.

It was a perfect St. Patrick's Day--not just for the wearing of the green, but for the wearing of the orange. The Gulf Fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) arrived in our yard Sunday afternoon, March 16 and deposited an egg, just like E. Bunny will do soon.

Bagrada bug has an interesting scientific name - Bagrada hilaris. This bug is native to Africa and the genus probably represents the ancient Bagradas River in North Africa. Species name hilaris' means cheerful, merry or joyful in Latin.

During the day, European wool carder bees (so named because the females collect or "card" plant fuzz for their nests) forage on our catmint and lamb's ear. These bees, Anthidium manicatum, are about the size of a honey bee, but with striking yellow and black markings.

There's always something special going on at the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus. But this Sunday, June 3, something even more special "may" occur. That's "may" because a California dogface butterfly "may" emerge from its chrysalis during the Bohart open house, set from 1 to 4 p.

False chinch bug (Nysius sp.) infestation on strawberries (Photo by Sal Ponce, Pacific Coast Produce.

Have you ever observed how a honey bee swarm finds a new home? How a few of the worker bees turn into scouts, scour their surroundings, and then return to the swarm and dance to communicate their findings? Thomas Seeley has. Many times.

Zombies! What do you think of when someone says "zombies?" Students sitting inattentively in class? A souless body? Or a honey bee infested with parasitic flies? A Zombie, according to Wikipedia, is a term used "to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means, such as witchcraft.