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Outstanding Group of UC Davis Graduate Students at ESA Meeting
Graduate students with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology excelled at the recent Entomological Society of America meeting...
Standing behind the ESA motif are UC Davis doctoral candidates Christofer Brothers, CC Edwards and Lexie Martin.
UC Davis doctoral student Iris Quayle of the Jason Bond lab discussing her research on "A (Finally) Complete Phylogeny for the Charismatic Genus Onymacris Using Ultraconserved Elements." (Photo courtesy of Lexie Martin)
Doctoral student Briley Mullin of Ian Grettenberger lab speaking on "Evaluating the Use of Predatory Plant Bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) as Biological Control Against the Invasive South American Tomato Leaf Miner (Tuta absoluta) in California Tomato Fields." (Photo courtesy of Lexie Martin)
UC Davis doctoral candidate Lexie Martin of the Rachel Vannette lab presenting her work on "Microbial Acquisition and Interactions in the Blue Orchard Bee (Osmia lignaria)"
UC Davis doctoral student Abigail Lehner of the Neal Williams lab discussing "Do Blue Orchard Bees (Osmia lignaria) Exhibit Plastic Behavior in Response to Parasitism by the Non-Native Houdini fly (Cacoxenus indagator)?" (Photo courtesy of Lexie Martin)
UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association members--Ziv Lieberman, Iris Quayle and CC Edwards--offering entomology T-shirts, all designed by members. They can be ordered online at https://ucdavisentgrad.square.site.
A view of the crowd from the UC Davis Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) T-shirt booth. (Photo courtesy of Lexie Martin)
Of Course, You Can Grow Peonies
For many years, I heard that peonies cannot be grown in California. The reasons: it is in the wrong part of the country, it is too warm here, and finally, “it just won't work.” I really did, until I went to Fioli with a horticulture class. Marsha, the instructor, felt that her students needed some eye-opening examples of the kind of gardening we mere students could do IF we had the time, the money, and the extra gardeners a historic estate had.
The roses, the camellias, and the fabulous vines clinging to the back of the brick mansion looked as though the bricks were draped with sheer white lace! But, what was this: a peony bed full of delicate pink and white blooms; the scent from these blooming flowers was heavenly. But these were peonies, and they were thriving and blooming -- things that I had been told were impossible! I had to know the secret behind all of this!
I timidly went to speak to a nearby gardener, excused myself, and asked about the secrets of growing peonies. Laughing, he explained the secret: for herbaceous peonies (P. lactiflora) to grow and thrive, they need a good chilly winter. Here, in the coastal area of California, with no snow, putting a bag of ice over the peony bed once or twice during the average winter will give the peonies the cold they crave. Easy peasy!
With that information, I was off to the races (as they say) to grow peonies in a raised bed in the side yard. Unfortunately, after a few years, we had a very wet winter and the rhizomes drowned, since then I have been growing them in pots since my yard is less than 5 feet above the water table in Suisun City. I have also gone from the herbaceous varieties to the Itoh varieties, which require less chilling time and have HUGE flowers of yellow, deep maroon, and coppery colors and do not require as much sunlight.
This year, I am trying another herbaceous peony – in a pot this time, to see if all goes well. Since the rhizomes cost between $6 at the big box stores and over $100 from specialty growers, I am not going all in – this time.
'Bartzella' Itoh peony by john_pittman is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Congrats to Mia Lippey and Ziv Lieberman, UC Davis Entomology Doctoral Candidates
Congrats to two UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology doctoral candidates: Mia Lippey and Ziv Lieberman. Lippey, mentored...
UC Davis-Affiliated Experts Discuss Dragonflies on 'Critter Chat'
Meet the Grappeltail dragonfly, the club-tailed dragonfly. It belongs to the genus Octogomphus, which has one species,...
Grappeltail dragonfly, the club-tailed dragonfly.It belongs to the genus Octogomphus, which has one species, O. specularis. The dragonfly derives its "clubtail" name from the club-like widening at the end of its abdomen. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)
Good fire is back at the Hopland Research and Extension Center
Fire has been part of indigenous stewardship in California since time immemorial. These fire practices were deeply connected to cultural traditions, food ways, and enhanced the resilience of landscapes. Using fire for research and land management at the UC ANR Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC) dates back to the early 1950s and fire was used as an effective tool for maintaining the health of the landscape for many years. However, the regulations and paperwork permitting controlled burns became increasingly restrictive after the catastrophic wildfires of 2017.
Thanks to three years of perseverance by John Bailey, HREC director, and with help from trained UC ANR advisors and staff, we were able to execute a research burn once again, instead of relying on the more restrictive CalFire Vegetation Management Plan process. By carefully reintroducing fire, a tool essential for rangeland and oak woodland stewardship, we want to be able to use good fire for research and to recover biodiversity and make the landscape more climate resilient.
On Nov. 8, 2024, HREC successfully conducted a prescribed burn as part of ongoing research to advance the restoration of a unique perennial wetland. This prescribed burn is part of a larger initiative to enhance native biodiversity and control invasive species. Fire was used as a natural disturbance to open up the dense Tule stands surrounding the pond to create a habitat mosaic with a diversity of plant species and habitat structure for native frogs and other pond life.
The burn was led by UCANR staff and academics, including Jeff Stackhouse, UC Cooperative Extension natural resource advisor, and Mike Jones, UCCE forestry advisor, whose leadership ensured its successful execution. We also had significant community participation from members of theHopland Band ofPomo Indians, including their Environmental Protection Agency director, as well as Grizzly Corps members, researchers and volunteers.
This event provided an opportunity for the diverse group to learn about controlled burns, engage in fire safety education, and explore how such practices contribute to ecological resilience. By involving community members in the process, the event not only restored habitat but also fostered a deeper understanding of fire's role in ecosystem health and stewardship.
HREC plans to work with UC ANR leadership and the UC ANR Fire Network to establish clear policies for conducting regular burns for research, stewardship and extension. Additionally, HREC will continue partnering with CalFire, leveraging their capacity for larger-scale projects, ensuring a variety of pathways are available for safely conducting prescribed fire and to strengthen the UC-CalFire relationship for better land stewardship outcomes statewide.
