Siskiyou

It may be extinct, but don't say the "E" word to Robbin Thorp. Thorp, a noted bumble bee expert, hasn't seen Franklin's bumble bee for 10 years, but that doesn't mean it's not there--somewhere in its small native range of southern Oregon and northern California.

The UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences has announced their field day for small grains and alfalfa. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 from 8:15am to 4:15pm. The small grains field day will take place in the morning, and the alfalfa field day will take place in the afternoon.

The world's "100 Most Endangered Species" are back in the news again, and well they should be.

What's that caterpillar? This little fellow (or gal) was munching--quite contentedly, thank you--on the leaves of an aspen tree. The homeowner didn't take too kindly to the critter defoliating his prized tree, newly purchased in Oregon and newly planted in Vacaville, Calif.

Many of us in California have never seen the Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) Many of us never will.

(Note: Due to a forecast of heavy rain, the grand opening originally scheduled March 24 is now Saturday, March 31. The blog below reflects the change.) The Davis Bee Sanctuary is the place to "bee" on Saturday, March 31.

It's good to see University of California scientists pursuing rare bumble bees.

It's good to see so many people looking for the critically imperiled Franklin's bumble bee, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may soon list as endangered and provide protective status.

Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, is on a mission. He and fellow members of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation are trying to save Franklin's bumble bee from extinction.

Some species of bumble bees are disappearing at an alarming rate. And that, in itself, is alarming. A three-year study published Jan.