This interactive Story Map is an offshoot of a long-time field laboratory exercise in Foundations of Plant Biology, BPSC 104, offered by the UCR Botany & Plant Sciences Department. In this class students learn about plant ecology using the UCR Botanic Gardens as their outdoor laboratory. Ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms...
There is among us a form of life whose ancestry traces back nearly 300 million years. This is the ginkgo tree, Ginkgo biloba, whose closest relatives also have ancient heritage. Although it has broad leaves like angiosperms, ginkgo is a gymnosperm, closely related to cycads and conifers, because it produces “naked seeds” on its branches...
Along the marshy banks of the lower Nile River before it joins the Mediterranean, a sedge plant known to the ancients as “papyrus” or sometimes “biblos” flourished for many thousands of years. The plant was essential to the lives of the Egyptians, providing material for fabric, sails, baskets, and even boats. Papyrus is best known...
The Propertius Duskywing is a Spread-wing Skipper because it usually holds its wings out flat when perched. Only occasionally are the wings folded to show a ventral view. Skippers are separated from other butterflies by the fact that the clubbed antennae are hooked. Also, they have large eyes, stocky bodies, and powerful flight muscles. Propertius...
The Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), one of the largest and most widespread species in the skipper family (Hesperiidae), has a wingspan between 1.5 – 2.5 inches. Both sexes look identical. Although it belongs to the Spread-wing Skippers, this species usually perches with its wings closed. The ground color of the wings and body are a...
The Interactive GIS Application (app) for the UCR Botanic Gardens has been officially released to the public! We have utilized Esri Enterprise ArcGIS Online, so the “power of where” can be integrated into the project. To make this app user friendly, we want to provide a few tips on how to navigate your way through...
They grace the water of many aquariums, backyard ponds and even lakes. As you stroll past the pond at the UCR Botanic Gardens, look closely and you may catch a glimpse of a Japanese Koi (Cyprinus rubrofuscus). If you take the time to admire their beauty and elegant swimming, you will quickly realize why they...
