Trinity

Bumble bees--how many have you seen so far this year on the UC Davis campus? If you join the thousands of visitors at the ninth annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday, Feb.

Sudden Oak Death (SOD), a serious exotic tree disease, threatens the survival of tanoak and several oak species in California. Currently, SOD infects trees in 14 coastal California counties, from Monterey to Humboldt.

A newly published first-of-its-kind review involving pollinators, pollination and natural hazards signals a wake-up call to scientists and policy makers.

Reposted from the UC Berkeley News Two tanoak trees in Del Norte county tested positive for the pathogen known to cause sudden oak death, reports a team of collaborators from Cal Fire, UC Cooperative Extension and SOD Blitz.

Legalization of cannabis in California changes the dynamics of competing industries Humboldt County has long been known for marijuana production.

In 1953, amid reports that cannabis was growing around San Mateo County, the local sheriff's office and the UC Agricultural Extension Service in Half Moon Bay issued a booklet entitled Identify and Report Marihuana. The booklet envisioned total eradication of cannabis.

The late Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, and a global authority on bees, worked tirelessly to try to include Franklin's bumble bee (Bombus franklini) as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

For millennia, fires periodically burned through California forests, thinning trees, reducing shrubbery and clearing out downed branches and debris. Without periodic fire, the forests became more dense, with spaces between large trees filling in with a thick carpet of duff, seedlings and shrubs.

Hear that buzz? Honey bees own the flower beds at the Solano County Fair, 900 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo. But bees and other insects claim the exhibit halls, as well. They're depicted on everything from quilts and photos to graphic arts displayed in McCormack Hall.

Reprinted from the UCANR News As California grappled with a record-breaking heatwave last week and 236 wildfires, officials are bracing for the worst, reported Maanvi Singh in the Guardian.