UC Davis Sheepmowers
From UC Davis:
“The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden is collaborating with Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture Haven Kiers in her research project designed to help determine if sheep, which intermittently graze a lawn on central campus, can eat weeds and grass, fertilize and control pests as well as or better than using conventional landscaping methods.
“This is a perfect partnership,” said Tyson Mantor, Arboretum and Public Garden associate director. “We pride ourselves on the many sustainable landscape maintenance efforts we currently use to keep our grounds beautiful. We welcome sheep to the effort.”
A number of campus sheep will be allowed to graze in a fenced lawn area on central campus. An equally sized adjacent lawn will serve as a control and will be conventionally maintained by Arboretum and Public Garden landscape managers. Sheep will be transported to the site in a trailer and allowed to graze, then, at the end of the day, they will be transported back to the campus sheep facility. It is anticipated to take 2-3 days to "mow" the experimental half of the lawn. Two student shepherds will supervise the sheep at all times. “
Miridae Living Labs is collaborating with the UC Davis Sheepmower Project by providing insect diversity surveying pre- and post-grazing to monitor for impacts to pollinator and other beneficial insect diversity.
This contraption is a malaise trap - it’s used to passively collect insects flying through the air or crawling on the ground! Bugs that come in contact with the black netting naturally crawl upwards to the tallest white portion of the tent, where a collecting jar containing diluted alcohol contains specimens until they are collected.
