Microscopy world views hampers mowing the meadow...please do.nt put off your outdoor chores for microscopy!

[charlie g]

Happy summer/'21 on our north,hemisphere of our dear globe, folks. For years I've been wanting to dabble with the ciliate commensals in meadow spittle bug nests, ahh yes..things to do hamper my intent for : 'meadow spittle bug bubble nest ciliates' microscopy...sighh.

With meadow plant growth over five (5 feet) feet height this 6/21..mowing must be done...yet as I assume to plow on and mow...so many 'meadow spittle bug nests' on a variety of host plants...and you guessed it..so little time for microscopy world views.

I avoided vast patches of over grown meadow where spittle bug bubble nests were huge..yet by 6/26/21..time to regain control of our meadow...so doggie and I collected the few remaining bubble nests for microscopy...then all meadow mowed to a comfy carpet texture.

I have pride due our meadows 'pollinator friendly' diverse assemblage of flower species...but I can only use that dodge to not mow until middle-June of our growth season...this year I insisted microscopy of spittle bug bubble nests a reason to only partially mow the meadow.

Please enjoy the rich community of ciliates which inhabit spittle bug nests during the forty (40) , to (52) days of these nymphs five moults/ five instars to adult: frog hoppers.

Pretty please snip a spittle bug bubbles nest from your garden next year and observe the protozoa inhabiting the foam bubble nest

[charlie g]

Meadow spittle bugs feed as nymphs on plant xyleme vessels for forty to fifty days before emergence from their frothy bubble nests as adult frog hoppers. Within their excreted bubble nests these spittle bugs molt for five instars, excreting a urine volume some 150 to 280X their body mass per day.

Within these frothy nests a predictable ciliate community occurs, excellent live protozoan microscopy all over my by 6/21 overgrown meadow.

[charlie g]

Spittle bugs breathe by a terminal abdominal snorkle tube, these nymphs do not breathe from their bubbles. All that surface tension habitat in which protozoa thrive. Every new year I intend to tinker with the forty to fifty day duration bubble nests..add certain algae, add rotifers...see if the protozoan habitat will support the changes. I never seem to find the time and then the froghoppers emerge.

Please note a bubble nest ciliate in transit of a froth bubble in the 10X objective view here.

[charlie g]

4X objective view of the nest ciliates.

[charlie g]

Good doggie and I intend to do spittle bug nest microscopy next year, happy summer all. charlie guevara, finger lakes/US

[Javier]

Very interesting, Charlie. Thanks for sharing!

[charlie g]

Hi Javier, I missed out on time for bubble nest microscopy this year. I still have time this summer for microscopy of the white latexy sap of common milkweeds. I have read that flagelate protozoa are commensals in this milk weed sap.

Enjoy a safe and happy summer all, charlie guevara