Year 3 of this project is winding down in northern Utah

Hi all,
In the northern Utah neck of the woods, bugs-on-alfalfa viewing is winding down for the season. The "bugs" are entering diapause (hibernation), if they haven't already.

Since April, we've added 11 new unique taxa that are associated with alfalfa, mainly across the western U.S. That's awesome! And, it's becoming clearer and clearer how abundant western honey bees, seven-spotted lady beetles, melissa blue butterflies, cabbage white butterflies, and convergent lady beetles are on and around alfalfa.

I look forward to continuing our discoveries in the fourth year of this project. Last year we had a warm, dry winter, and I saw new alfalfa growth in February! We'll see what happens this time.

Last, 40 scientists have now contributed to the project. Thanks for all your contributions!
Lauren

Posted on October 29, 2021 03:16 PM by lklucas