Rangelands

Invasive pests threaten California's natural environments, agricultural production, structures, landscapes and gardens, causing billions of dollars of damage to our agricultural systems and natural areas each year.

In California, ~9 million acres of forestland are owned by individuals, with ~90% of these owners owning less than 50 acres each. Considering California has ~33 million acres of total forestland, that 9 million acres makes up to a lot of our state's forests that individuals are responsible for.

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's weekly virtual seminars resume Wednesday, Dec. 2 with a program on nematodes, or "roundworms.

In less than a decade, some of the burned expanses from this year's megafires could burst into intense flames again, reported Ula Chrobak in Scientific American. Frequent, low-severity fires, which clear out patches of low-lying vegetation and dry leaf litter, have an preventative effect.

Molecular nematologist Peter DiGennaro of the University of Florida's Department of Entomology and Nematology will present the next virtual seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 2.

When we finally received a more than two inches of rain in mid-November, I was relieved that we would finally have germination on our foothill rangelands - better late than never! Today, after two weeks of sunshine, I am indeed seeing a little green coming up through last year's dry forage.

Gulf Fritillaries in November? Yes! Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae) are still active here in Solano County, on those warm, sunny afternoons that defy the season. They're still hanging around their host plant, Passiflora (passionflower vine), "looking for love" (thank you, Johnny Lee).

If you've been talking to your plants for years, you are not alone. But know this: plants can communicate, too. They eavesdrop, sense danger in the environment, and can distinguish friend from foe.

Congratulations to the five UC Davis entomology doctoral students who excelled in the Entomological Society of America's student competitions, part of the organization's Nov. 16-25 virtual meeting.

Five UC Davis entomology graduate students scored high in the Entomological Society of America's highly competitive student competitions, part of the organization's Nov. 16-25 virtual meeting.