It will be a monarch-kind of day. And why not? Monarch enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the "Welcome Back Monarchs Day" on Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Natural Bridges State Park, 2531 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz.
Broken Wing belongs here. And that's a good thing, because he won't live long. A male monarch that we've nicknamed Broken Wing due to a predator mark, hangs out on our milkweed, butterfly bush and Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). He's probably looking for a meal and a mate.
Have you ever seen a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) lay an egg on her host plant, the milkweed? Have you ever seen a close-up of the egg? The larva or caterpillar? The chrysalis? The eclosure (when the adult emerges from the chrysalis)? It's a fascinating sight. Not all eggs will make it.
The Monarchs are on the move. In the late summer and early fall, the Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) head for the California coastline or central Mexico to overwinter. "Monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains travel to small groves of trees along the California coast," according to Monarchwatch.org.
Through DNA sequencing, UCR entomologist have determined that we have two separate invasions of the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) here in southern California attacking avocados. One invasion in San Diego County and the second in Los Angeles County.
Weed control in cool-season vegetables can be quite challenging. However, there are a number of practices that provide growers with certain advantages: Short-season crops such as lettuce and spinach that allow for rapid turnover of the crops (e.g.
From the UC Davis News Service January 21, 2015 Controlling weeds could soon become more effective, affordable and sustainable for vegetable growers in California and beyond, thanks to a system under development at UC Davis that will help plants communicate with a robotic cultivator.
At first glance, they looked like dead leaves hanging on an Eucalyptus tree in the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz. From 75 to 80 feet below, they bore no resemblance to monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), the most familiar butterfly in all of North America.
