Bug Squad

If you're a sagebrush and a predator (such as a grasshopper) is eating your nearby kin, another sagebrush, it's good to be closely related. Through volatile (chemical) cues, your kin will inform you of the danger so you can adjust your defenses. Yes, plants can communicate.

Like bugs? Thinking about becoming an entomologist or just want some hands-on experience? Mark your calendar. The Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus is planning an open house on "How to Be an Entomologist" from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27.

How can you hate a caterpillar and love a butterfly? You can't. Some gardeners so love their passionflower vine (Passiflora) that they squirm at the thought of a caterpillar munching it down to nothing. But that's what caterpillars do.

We all take shortcuts. We look for the shortest line at the supermarket, we use keyboard shortcuts, and we text how r u? So, why shouldn't honey bees use shortcuts? They do.

When a monarch butterfly comes fluttering through your yard, grab your camera. Marvel at it beauty, celebrate its presence, and keep it in your memory. It may be become an endangered species the way things are going.