Bug Squad

 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…

 "Special treats" involving honey bees await those attending the Vacaville Museum Guild's annual Children's Party, set for 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Museum courtyard, 213 Buck Ave., Vacaville.The event, for Vacaville children ages 3 to 9, offers a wide variety of activities, including games, arts and…

 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…

 The problem with being a “Little Game Hunter” is that there are other “Little Game Hunters” lurking around you.Take today. Please. During my “Bug Break” this afternoon, I stepped into our pollinator garden intending to capture a few images of butterflies in flight with my trusty Nikon and zoom…

 "Fuzzy Wuzzy" was not a bear. "Fuzzy Wuzzy" was--and is--a pink pipe cleaner caterpillar. And sometimes it comes in yellow, green, orange, blue, white or red.Pipe cleaners are used to clean smoking pipes, ridding them of residue and moisture. But as chenille stems, they find themselves in a wide…