UC Garden Blogs
Tardigrades Aren't Microscopic Any More

Tardigrades, also known as the water bears, are microscopic animals but they're not microscopic any more! They're featured prominently on the newly available Bohart Museum of Entomology hooded sweatshirts, the work of artist Charlotte Herbert...
This is the back of the tardigrade hoodie, "The Bohart Republic." It's available in the gift shop at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. The art, reminiscent of the California Bear Flag, is by Charlotte Herbert Alberts, an entomology doctoral student. The Bohart has its own flag! (Photo by Fran Keller)
The California Bear Flag features a grizzly bear. The California State Legislature adopted the official version of the Bear Flag in 1911 in a law signed by then Gov. Hiram Johnson in 1911.
The Professors: Fran Keller, assistant professor at Folsom Lake College, and Jason Bond, Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed Chair in Insect Systematics in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, are surrounded by hooded sweatshirts available for sale at the Bohart Museum. Keller, who holds a doctorate in entomology from UC Davis, designed the hoodies. Bond, a spider expert, will be presenting displays at the Bohart Museum's open house on March 9. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What Do These Pesticide Terms Mean?

[Originally published as “Pesticide Briefs: What Do These Terms Mean?” in the Fall 2018 issue of the Retail Nursery and Garden Center IPM News.] Last summer, we defined what a pesticide is and gave a few examples. Here, we...
Bee My Valentine!

Remember receiving valentine cards that read "Bee My Valentine?" Well, every day can be Valentine's Day when there are bees in your garden. We captured this image several years ago of a queen bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on a spiked...
A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, nectaring on a spiked floral purple plant, Salvia indigo spires (Salvia farinacea x S. farinacea). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Ooh, this nectar is good! The yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, can't get enough of this salvia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Yes, I can "bee" an acrobat when I want to "bee." A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, on a salvia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Valentine's Day Blog Post: Weeds With Pretty Names (Re-Posted)

You just KNOW that some plants are considered weeds. Their common names give them away. They sound awful. Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). Ripgut brome (Bromus diandrus). Devil's claw (Proboscidea lutea). Smellmelon (Cucumis melo). Itchgrass...
See Bugs, Bees and Nematodes on UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day

It's going to be a long weekend, but it's a short one when you consider all the things you can do and see at the eighth annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb. 16. Bring your family. Bring your friends. Bring your camera. The...
A six-foot-long mosaic and ceramic sculpture, Miss Beehaven, anchors the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. It is the work of Donna Billick of Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A colorful--and viable--bee hive at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven. Bees don't usually fly until the temperature hits 55 degrees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis nematologist and graduate student Christopher Pagan (center) greets visitors at a UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Butterflies are a popular attraction at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
At the Bohart Museum of Entomology, visitors can hold the stick insects. This is a black velvet walking stick with red wings. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)