Microscope Forums .com

Hello,

Does somebody has some ideas for me?
I have just bought a microscope and I have considered some samples of sugar, NaCl and leafs, but I am wondering what to consider now.
So, does somebody has a suggestion for me?

Nadia.

(I come from the Netherlands and my english isn't very good, so i'm sorry if I make mistakes in my sentences.)

Get an onion and peel off a thin layer of live tissue, not the dried part. Mount it on a slide, and you should be able to distinguish cells and material flowing between/around them.

There is enough stuff living in pond/lake/stream/river water to keep you busy for a very long time. If you live near the ocean, then you have even more to examine.

Insects provide some pretty amazing viewing opportunities. If you're lucky, you might even find some ectoparasites living on them.

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John Karlsson
Hope Valley, RI

Don't count your chickens until they have burned their bridges behind them.

Thank you very much for your suggestions!

Oh, I forgot to mention pollen.

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John Karlsson
Hope Valley, RI

Don't count your chickens until they have burned their bridges behind them.

From the garden: Very thin cross sections of herbaceous plant stems and roots.
Try to slice the epithelium layer on the ventral(bottom) surface of a leaf and see if you can identify the stomata.

From the human body: Cells can be easily removed from the inside of ones cheek by gently swabbing with a cotton "qtip" (earbud). Also, blood, and hair (try and pull out the follicle too (ouch!)) make interesting microscopic targets.

From the lake: Fish scales have concentric ridges one can count under low magnification to determine the age of the fish, much like the rings in a tree. Fillamentous and free living algae

The possibilities are really endless.

Mintaka

I am new to microscopy. I scooped up some water out of the bird bath in the garden looking for anything that might be living in there. A dead fly came in my 'sample' and when I looked at it, there were these little organisms looked like they were eating it? I took a pic but it doesnt show as clear as it was with the eye.

I have yet to try some pond water, but I look forward to it!

John.

Just a guess, since I can't zoom in for a closer look (I tried -- silly me!), they look like rotifers using the fly as substrate, not food.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotifer>

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John Karlsson
Hope Valley, RI

Don't count your chickens until they have burned their bridges behind them.

Thanks John, I will have a read about them.

Regards, John.

Hi John,

I agree with John K. They look like rotifers to me also. They will be feeding on bacteria which are feeding on the fly. If you look at them with a higher power objective you will see a crown of cilia beating o the top of them giving the appearance of a spinning wheel.

Peter.

Pond water--stuff some dry weedy grass in your specimen container (Empty rinsed out medication containers work well) and let it grow. Check daily. Add water as needed. WOW!