Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
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A green lynx spider settles on a pink rockrose. (Cell phone photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Gotta Love That Spider!

April 30th, 2020
Gotta love that spider! If you don't like spiders, you should like this one: the green lynx spider, Peucetia viridans. It's bright green, the kind that makes you think of shamrocks and leprechauns and Ireland.
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A soldier beetle on a yellow rose. (Cell phone photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Soldier Beetle Foraging on Aphids

April 29th, 2020
Lady beetles, aka ladybugs, are not the only insects that feed on aphids. So do the soldier beetles, family Cantharidae. They are sometimes known as leatherwings. Got roses? Got aphids? You may also have a good friend, the soldier beetle.
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A honey bee, Apis mellifera, buzzes over the head of a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, on a tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Two Bees: A Close Encounter with a Cousin

April 28th, 2020
So here I am, a male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, just enjoying the nectar on this tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in Vacaville, Calif. Some folks call me "The teddy bear bee." Yes, I like that nickname.
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UC Davis Chancellor Gary May delivered the COVID-19 seminar introduction. In the right corner is organizer-moderator Walter Leal.
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COVID-19 Virtual Symposium: 'You Are My Heroes'

April 24th, 2020
I just wanted to thank you! You are my heroes. So began an unsolicited email to UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal, who organized and moderated a UC Davis-based COVID-19 virtual symposium spotlighting the expertise of physicians, scientists and a COVID-19 survivor.
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