From the UC Blogosphere...

Green-Eyed Gal

We saw her touch down in our nectarine tree last weekend. Big green compound eyes glowed at us. She moved up and down a...

Green-eyed wasp, genus Tachytes, in a nectarine tree. This one is a female, as identified by Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Green-eyed wasp, genus Tachytes, in a nectarine tree. This one is a female, as identified by Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Green-eyed wasp, Tachytes sp., foraging on a nectarine tree. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Green-eyed wasp, Tachytes sp., foraging on a nectarine tree. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A little somersault by a green-eyed wasp, genus Tachytes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A little somersault by a green-eyed wasp, genus Tachytes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pray Thee Well

When I last met up with a pipevine swallowtail, it wasn't faring well. In fact, I didn't recognize it as a pipevine...

Pipevine swallowtail visiting the Storer Garden, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pipevine swallowtail visiting the Storer Garden, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis devouring a pipevine swallowtail. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis devouring a pipevine swallowtail. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Training for the Olympics?

Training for the Olympics? If you step into your garden in the early morning, you might see a male bumble bee sleeping on...

Male yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, appears to be doing a chin up. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Male yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, appears to be doing a chin up. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UCCE advisor teaches Topanga Canyon residents about making their homes fire safe

Sabrina Drill, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Los Angeles County, natural resources, informed Topanga Canyon residents how to create defensible space around their homes by breaking up fuel ladders, identifying fire-resistant plants and spacing the plants appropriately, according to the Topanga Messenger.

Drill's presentation, which included information about maintaining the health of the wildland environment, was the third of four lectures sponsored by the Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness.

Topanga Canyon is a tony Los Angeles County neighborhood nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains and bounded on three sides by state park or conservancy lands. In 1993, the Old Topanga Fire burned 16,516 acres and destroyed at least 388 structures, according to Wikipedia.

Anise Swallowtail: Have You Seen Me?

An anise swallowtail fluttered in and out of the tall anise bordering the banks of the Benicia Marina. A beautiful...

Female anise swallowtail,Papilio zelicaon, as identified by butterfly expert Art Shapiro of UC Davis, visiting anise at the Benicia Marina. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Female anise swallowtail,Papilio zelicaon, as identified by butterfly expert Art Shapiro of UC Davis, visiting anise at the Benicia Marina. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A female anise swallowtail,Papilio zelicaon, touches down on anise at the Benicia Marina. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A female anise swallowtail,Papilio zelicaon, touches down on anise at the Benicia Marina. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up and away--the female anise swallowtail flutters away. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Up and away--the female anise swallowtail flutters away. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey

European paper wasp, apparently scouting the anise for butterfly eggs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

European paper wasp, apparently scouting the anise for butterfly eggs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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