Posts Tagged: Robbin Thorp

UC Davis Arboretum Is the Magical Place to Find the First-of-the-Year Bumble Bee

If history repeats itself, the person who finds and photographs the first bumble bee of the year in the two-county area of Yolo and...

A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, forages on Eryngium amethystinum, a genus that belongs to the carrot family, Apiaceae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, forages on Eryngium amethystinum, a genus that belongs to the carrot family, Apiaceae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, nectaring on ceanothus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, nectaring on ceanothus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Legendary Robbin Thorp: A Tribute Well Deserved

When UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal created a video tribute honoring the UC Davis faculty who recently transitioned to emeriti, he...

The legendary Robbin Thorp in front of an almond tree on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The legendary Robbin Thorp in front of an almond tree on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Get Off My Turf!

Get off my turf! The native bees known as Melissodes, the longhorned bees, start stirring in the early morning. First, they settle on...

A male Melissodes agilis pauses to sip nectar from a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male Melissodes agilis pauses to sip nectar from a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Get off my turf! A male Melissodes agilis bops another male of the species. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Get off my turf! A male Melissodes agilis bops another male of the species. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"I said get off my turf." The male Melissodes agilis trying to claim territorial rights.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"I said get off my turf." The male Melissodes agilis trying to claim territorial rights.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Return of Bombus

The English lavender drew her in. And there she was, a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, foraging in our family's pollinator...

A yellow-faced Bombus vosnesenskii, prepares to sip nectar from an English lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A yellow-faced Bombus vosnesenskii, prepares to sip nectar from an English lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, sipping nectar.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, sipping nectar.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, departs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, departs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ria de Grassi Wins the Bumble Bee Contest!

Congratulations to UC Davis alumna and pollinator enthusiast Ria de Grassi of Davis, who spotted and photographed the first bumble bee of...

Pollinator enthusiast Ria de Grassi of Davis confers with UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) at a Bohart Museum of Entomology open house in 2017. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Pollinator enthusiast Ria de Grassi of Davis confers with UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) at a Bohart Museum of Entomology open house in 2017. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) discusses with Ria de Grassi the unusual carpenter bee she found. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) discusses with Ria de Grassi the unusual carpenter bee she found. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) answers questions at a 2017 Bohart Museum of Entomology open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) answers questions at a 2017 Bohart Museum of Entomology open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Lynn Kimsey (left), director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, presents a prized coffee cup with an image of Franklin's bumble bee to Ria de Grassi. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Lynn Kimsey (left), director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, presents a prized coffee cup with an image of Franklin's bumble bee to Ria de Grassi. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Read more