Butte

Chemical ecologist Andre Kessler, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University, will speak on "Chemical Information Driving Plant Interactions and Community Dynamics" at the next UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar.

Site map and analysis completed, per Part One? Check! Garden style selected, per Part Two? Check! Welcome to Part Three, where the focus is: What plant jobs need to be filled in my garden? Plants jobs can be functional, aesthetic, or both. Functional jobs affect the use of the garden.

It's definitely going to be quite a memorable year for the Western monarch butterflies--memorable as in "record low populations at the overwintering sites along the California coast.

Quince Cydonia oblonga, is a fruit that few of us know. Quince is a member of the Rose family along with apples and pears. Its botanical name says that it is from the island of Crete and has oblong leaves. It does in fact have oblong leaves but is from western and central Asia.

View as a webpage Think fungi are little more than moldy growths? Guess again. Scientists found one that creates fake flowers to attract insect pollinators.

If the year 2020 "bugged" you, you're not alone. It certainly did the insect museum, the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis.

Halloween and Thanksgiving are giving way to Christmas, New Year's eve celebration and other high holy days. With this time of great celebration there is usually a meal with plenty of great food. One of the vegetables of the season is the great pumpkin. It can be used pies and custards.

Gulf Fritillaries in November? Yes! Gulf Fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae) are still active here in Solano County, on those warm, sunny afternoons that defy the season. They're still hanging around their host plant, Passiflora (passionflower vine), "looking for love" (thank you, Johnny Lee).

In Part One, What Can I Give My Plants, you were encouraged to analyze your planting site, and to determine the existing conditions in your garden space.

My husband and I are currently in New Haven, CT on a working visit helping our grandkids Amos, 7, and Lukas, 4, with on-line schooling due to the current COVID pandemic.