Facebook
X (Twitter)
Reddit
Pinterest
Tumblr
Delicious
LinkedIn
StumbleUpon
UC Gardening Blogs
Maggot Art Always Draws a Crowd at UC Davis Picnic Day
When the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology hosts its "bug activities" at Briggs Hall...
Maggot art in the making at a UC Davis Picnic Day event at Briggs Hall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Memories of Karen in My Garden
Karen Norton, my neighbor and friend, passed away peacefully at midnight after a brief illness. It seemed fitting to her master gardener friends that today is National Gardeners' Day. Karen was a very nice neighbor, veteran master gardener, and accomplished ceramist and art teacher. One of the things I will miss about her are the most enjoyable garden-themed ceramics classes she would hold in her garage studio twice a year.
When Karen put out an email re: a future class, if you were lucky enough to be on her mailing list, it was imperative to reply immediately. Her classes would fill within minutes. Even when I was late however, Karen always managed to fit me in. She even allowed me to invite my friends if she had space.
I really looked forward to her classes. They would always begin with a stroll around her gorgeous garden for inspiration. The first picture shows my leaf wreath, where I picked leaves in her garden that were then rolled onto the prepared clay, cut and affixed to the wreath form.
Karen's classes were so enjoyable partly because she greatly minimized the opportunities for mistakes by her students. Karen prepared and rolled out the clay herself beforehand, so we never had air bubbles in our clay (or resulting explosions in the kiln).
Drawing and painting seem to come naturally to me. But not so with ceramics. Karen was an unfailingly patient and helpful teacher, and never ever rolled her eyes at my many flubs. Thanks to her, every project of mine was a success and I love them all!
After the projects were glazed and fired, Karen would have an unveiling where we would "ooh" and "aah" over our beautiful work, followed by a potluck lunch in her lovely home.
RIP Karen. I will miss your friendship, and your ceramics classes. Have a wonderful time growing and tending your heavenly garden where everything blooms and nothing dies, until we meet again.
On the left, koi fish created by Karen that I purchased and gave my husband for Christmas. On the right, my scalloped pocket for succulents just planted today, to be hung on the fence.
Two flowers, the left made by Karen, and the right made by me.
The Good Luck at UC Davis Picnic Day
Remember when San Francisco 49'ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk credited his spectacular 51-yard...
A lady beetle, aka ladybug, devouring on aphid on the UC Davis campus. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A cellar spider snares a lady beetle in a Vacaville pollinator garden. The red droplet is reflex bleeding, the beetle is emitting an alkaloid toxin to protect it from predators. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What's a Picnic Without Bugs?
What's a picnic without bugs? Well, it wouldn't be a picnic at all! The UC Davis Department of...
Stick insects, aka walking sticks, will be part of the Bohart Museum of Entomology's petting zoo in a pop-up tent at Briggs Hall during the UC Davis Picnic Day. The Bohart Museum headquarters in the Academic Surge Building will be closed on Picnic Day. The pop-up tent will showcase butterflies, bees and other specimens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Forensic entomologist Robert "Bob" Kimsey will staff the "Dr. Death" booth in 122 Briggs Hall. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Maggot art is among the popular activities at Briggs Hall during the annual UC Davis Picnic Day. Artists dip maggots in water-based, non-toxic paint. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Run, roaches, run! Cockroach races are an integral part of the "bug" activities at Briggs Hall during the UC Davis Picnic Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Be Firewise with Fire Resistant Landscaping
It's springtime, and many of us are adding new plants to our gardens. That means it is also a...
