Rangelands

Got legs? Got eight legs? No, not eight unless you're a spider (arachnid). If you're human, you can seek out the Bohart Museum of Entomology's "Got Legs?" T-shirt of a trapdoor spider.

You won't want to miss the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Late in 2023, a potentially devastating beetle was detected in the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time. But land managers, arborists and agency staff have one big advantage as they devise plans to control the invasive shothole borers (ISHB).

It's been several months since I've seen a Western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica. But there it was, dead. It had drowned in an outdoor water bowl. Easy pickings, you say? Easy photography! It's a beautiful insect with its black and yellow coloration.

If you stand perfectly still and don't make any jerky movements, you can usually get a close-up image of a black syrphid fly, a Mexican cactus fly, Copestylum mexicanum. It's Friday Fly Day and this one was nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia.

A spectacular leaf insect is the latest addition to the Bohart Museum of Entomology's hallway display of origami, all crafted by UC Davis alumnus Kevin Murakoshi of Davis. Leaf insects, family Phylliidae, resemble leaves as their name implies.

When folks think of "migratory butterflies," they usually associate that term with monarchs. But painted ladies, Vanessa cardui, are also migratory.

Sunflowers bring out the best in us. They bring us joy, happiness, hope and unity. But wait until you watch the newly released PBS Deep Look video, "Why Do Sunflowers Face the Sunrise?" that spotlights the research of UC Davis and UC Berkeley scientists.

If you love capturing images of insects or admiring the images of other photographers, you'll want to access the 66th annual International Insect Salon. The Peoria Camera Club (PCC) of Illinois and the Entomological Society of America (ESA) annually host or sponsor the Salon.

When Walter Leal submitted his application in 2000 to join the faculty at the University of California, Davis, one of his references wrote "He is like an Energizer Bunny that never runs down.