Wait! Don't head over to the Bohart Museum of Entomology in the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane on Saturday, April 20 during the 110th annual UC Davis Picnic Day. Why? It will be closed. The Bohart Museum, part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT), will be staffing a pop-up tent from noon to 4 p.m. in front of Briggs Hall, home of the department. That means all the "bug" displays at the 2024 UC Picnic Day will be at one place: Briggs Hall. The Bohart has ..read more

The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology will not only celebrate insect and nematode diversity at Briggs Hall during the 110th annual UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 20, but also "The Diversity of Arachnids." Doctoral student Emma "Em" Jochim of the Jason Bond lab is coordinating an exhibit she created last year to display the diversity of arachnids, such as vinegaroons, whip spiders, tarantulas, and scorpions. "We'll have live animals and fact sheets that will give a ..read more

Ever seen an angler tie a fly? You will if you visit Briggs Hall during the 110th annual UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 20. "The Art of Fly Tying" by the Fly Fishers of Davis is an integral part of the insect events and activities at Briggs Hall, home of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. The anglers are eager to show you how to tie a fly and then gift it to you. At the 2022 UC Davis Picnic Day, we remember veteran fly fisherman Paul Berliner asking a six-year-old ..read more

When the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology hosts its "bug activities" at Briggs Hall during the 110th annual UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 20, one of the most popular is maggot art. Children and adults alike create maggot art by using plastic forceps to dip a live maggot into water-based, non-toxic paint. They then watch it--or guide it--to make the drawing they're seeking. The result: It's suitable for framing (or at least a spot on the refrigerator door). Rebecca ..read more

What's a picnic without bugs? Well, it wouldn't be a picnic at all! The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) is planning scores of displays and activities at Briggs Hall for the 110th annual campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day, to take place Saturday, April 20. Think ants, bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, cockroaches, maggots, mosquitoes, nematodes, spiders and scorpions. And more. This year, all of the entomology exhibits, including those at the Bohart Museum of ..read more

Like to participate in an evening City Nature Challenge Bioblitz on the UC Davis campus and search for insects? And document other fauna and flora, as well? Doctoral student Grace Horne of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is coordinating a City Nature Challenge Bioblitz on Saturday, April 27 from 8 to 10 p.m. in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. The family-friendly event, funded by the UC Davis Center for Citizen and Community Science, is open to all interested ..read more

A monarch butterfly caterpillar goes through five stages or instars before it J's and becomes a jade-green chrysalis. Scientists estimate that only 10 percent of the eggs and 'cats survive to adulthood. They don't "survive" at all in California classrooms. California classrooms used to showcase the metamorphosis of the monarch--from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to adult-- but no more. If you live in California, you're not allowed to collect or rear monarchs without a scientific permit ..read more

"A lot of students take a gap year between their undergrad and grad program," says honey bee scientist Zac Lamas, a National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) postdoctoral fellow with the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS). "I took a gap decade. During that time I had a series of eclectic jobs and life experiences. Those experiences proved extremely useful during my PhD." Lamas, a former commercial beekeeper in New Hampshire, will share his life ..read more

What insects did you see during the Solar Eclipse, dubbed "The Great North American Eclipse?" And what were they doing? In some parts of North America, as the moon passed between the earth and sun, folks saw a total solar eclipse. But here in Solano County, California, totality it was not. Partial. We watched the Great North America Eclipse as the moon took a tiny bite out of the sun. And then a queen bumble bee buzzed into our pollinator garden just as the moon helped itself to another ..read more

If you've never been to the 284-acre Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas, Austin, in the spring to see the flora and fauna--especially the breathtaking bluebonnets--you're in for a real treat. The Wildflower Center, the state's botanical garden and arboretum, showcases bluebonnets, lots of bluebonnets. You'll see scores of other floral species, too, and maybe....well, rattlesnakes. You're told that "Fire ants, poison ivy, cacti and snakes are probable in this ..read more