Rangelands

Today, on Presidents' Day, let's buzz back in history to our first President and his love of honey bees. Picture this: George Washington (Feb. 22, 1732-Dec. 14, 1799) is eating hoecakes with honey, and adding honey to his tea, something that historians say he did every day.

They came. They saw. They held out their hands. Hands? Yes, to hold Madagascar hissing cockroaches and stick insects (walking sticks). The Bohart Museum of Entomology greeted some 1400 visitors during the 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, an event held Feb.

Who doesn't like "Pink Sugar?" No, not the sweetener. The brilliantly colored Arctotis "Pink Sugar," also known as a pink African daisy.

That lady beetle, aka ladybug, that landed on the shoe of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk just before the NFL championship game, apparently didn't show up at the Super Bowl. The 49'ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, but what a great battle it was.

Nematologists answered scores of questions at the 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Day, a "Super Science Day" held Feb. 10. The Nematode Collection, showcased in the Katherine Esau Science Hall, drew hundreds of visitors wanting to know more about the organism commonly known as "roundworm.

Last year during the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, visitors to the California Raptor Center, 1340 Equine Lane, off Old Davis Road, marveled at all the hawks and owls held by the trainers. News flash: This year, at the 13th annual Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb.

"Super Science Day" at the University of California, Davis, is a day before the Super Bowl. The 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb. 10, is a free and family friendly event showcasing 10 museums or collections.

Can you link nematodes, aka roundworms, with tomatoes, sugar beets, peaches, dogs, horses, whales and even Mormon crickets? You'll see specimens and get to talk to nematologists during the 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 10.

Seventy-three is the magic number. When Distinguished Professor Walter Leal celebrates the newest UC Davis faculty retirees with a special program at the International Center on Wednesday, Feb. 7, he'll pay tribute to 73 emeriti faculty in the cohort. Ten will serve as speakers.

Drum roll. We have a winner in the annual Beer-for-a-Butterfly Contest, in which the first person to collect the first cabbage white butterfly of the year in the three-county area of Yolo, Sacramento and Solano, wins a beer.