Rangelands

Congratulations again to the recipients of the 2024 UC Davis Academic Senate and Academic Federation awards.

One of the first butterflies we see in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden in midwinter is the Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta. Yes, this butterfly overwinters as an adult. It's picture-perfect with black wings, red bands and white spots. And on a picture-perfect day in midwinter, you may see it.

Water is among the most precious resources on the planet. Some areas don't get enough; some get too much. And climate change is driving both of those circumstances to ever-growing extremes.

Those Jerusalem crickets aren't as scary as some folks imagine them to be.

It's National Save-a-Spider Day. I did not save a spider today. I did not save one yesterday, either. Or the day before. That's because I did not see any that needed saving. I frequently see them in our pollinator garden, however, and I always stop to take their image. Nationaltoday.

What a great idea! When UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology organized and hosted an emeriti celebration honoring professors who recently transitioned to emeriti, he didn't stop when the presentations ended.

There's still time to register to attend the symposium, Tule and Cattail: A Tale of the Marsh Economy and Its Role in Human Health and Wellbeing, set for 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday, March 17 in Ballroom B of the UC Davis Conference Center, located at 550 Alumni Lane. The event is free and family friendly.

The crowd at the recent UC Davis emeriti celebration listened closely to the presentation delivered by butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus, who has been monitoring butterfly populations in Central California since 1972.

Hands down, or hands up, those walking sticks in the Bohart Museum of Entomology's live petting zoo are favorites among children and adults alike. The walking sticks, or stick insects, belong to the order Phasmatodea.

A local rancher called this week, and as usual, our conversation turned to grass and moisture conditions (I don't think ranchers and rangeland geeks like me can have a conversation WITHOUT discussing these topics).