Bug Squad

Bumble bee on bull thistle at Bodega Bay
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Svastra obliqua, "the sunflower bee," foraging on a blanketflower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Svastra: the Sunflower Bee

August 5th, 2024
It's nicknamed "the sunflower bee" for good reason. It forages on sunflowers. We recently spotted a longhorned bee, Svastra obliqua, also called "the sunflower bee," on Gaillardia, aka blanket flower, a member of the sunflower family, Asteracease.
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Moth-er scientist Volkmar Heinrich, UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, displayed his images of moths. This is the adult form of the tobacco worm, Carolina sphinx, Manduca sexta.
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National Moth Week Ended But...

August 1st, 2024
National Moth Week ended July 27 but you can go moth-ing any time. Meanwhile, here's another look at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's 2024 Moth Night, which drew widespread interest.
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The male Mantis religiosa, investigates his surroundings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Meet a Male Mantis in a Patch of Blanket Flowers

July 31st, 2024
So there he is, a praying mantis in a patch of blanket flowers, Gaillardia, in a Vacaville garden. He's a male Mantis religiosa, as slim as a string bean, and scanning his environment. We're accustomed to seeing see the native Stagmomantis limbata in our garden, and not M.
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