You gotta do this.
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You gotta do this.
Whether it's your field or not you deserve this experience.
1. Find a fern. Any fern will do. This time of year the underside of the leaves are covered with spore pods.
2. Take a leak to the lab. Using your scalpel, cut a few of the pods in half.
3.Put a unit fragment on a slide at 4x using contrast. Oblique, dark field, close the diaphragm, whatever...
4. Watch for a few minutes.
5. Because the pods have been damaged and exposed to open air, they will swell up, uncoil, and explode, sending microscopic spores everywhere.
6. You will find it to be well worth the time and effort. Those of you with really good set ups can share some great photos.
Greg
1. Find a fern. Any fern will do. This time of year the underside of the leaves are covered with spore pods.
2. Take a leak to the lab. Using your scalpel, cut a few of the pods in half.
3.Put a unit fragment on a slide at 4x using contrast. Oblique, dark field, close the diaphragm, whatever...
4. Watch for a few minutes.
5. Because the pods have been damaged and exposed to open air, they will swell up, uncoil, and explode, sending microscopic spores everywhere.
6. You will find it to be well worth the time and effort. Those of you with really good set ups can share some great photos.
Greg
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- FERN4 SMALL.jpg (17.37 KiB) Viewed 2948 times
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Re: You gotta do this.
I'll have to see if I can find some around here, I'm still not terribly familiar with the area so will need to go exploring. I would be very 'sori' to miss such a sight.
Re: You gotta do this.
Sounds fun. Will be on the lookout for some fern leaves.
Zeiss Photomicroscope III BF/DF/Pol/Ph/DIC/FL/Jamin-Lebedeff
Youtube channel
Youtube channel
Re: You gotta do this.
This is cheating, because I photographed a prepared slide, but I think it worth sharing:
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MichaelG.
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MichaelG.
Too many 'projects'
Re: You gotta do this.
Thanks for the heads up that it is "fern spore" season. Unfortunately, do not think I am living in a fern zone at this time.Greg Howald wrote: ↑Mon Jul 12, 2021 10:21 pmWhether it's your field or not you deserve this experience.
1. Find a fern. Any fern will do. This time of year the underside of the leaves are covered with spore pods.
2. Take a leak to the lab. Using your scalpel, cut a few of the pods in half.
3.Put a unit fragment on a slide at 4x using contrast. Oblique, dark field, close the diaphragm, whatever...
4. Watch for a few minutes.
5. Because the pods have been damaged and exposed to open air, they will swell up, uncoil, and explode, sending microscopic spores everywhere.
6. You will find it to be well worth the time and effort. Those of you with really good set ups can share some great photos.
Greg
Would like to add a link another illumination technique that works rather well with "fern spores" : https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/ ... &t=28809&p
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
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Re: You gotta do this.
That's really good stuff. I happen to have a u/v light source. I'll look forward to trying that. Thanks, Greg
Re: You gotta do this.
It is a beautiful image ... do note however, that that photograph was obtained with a Nikon TE300 (a very expensive microscope when new) using fluorescence.Greg Howald wrote: ↑Wed Jul 14, 2021 6:24 pmThat's really good stuff. I happen to have a u/v light source. I'll look forward to trying that. Thanks, Greg
Your results may vary!
https://www.labx.com/product/nikon-te300
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
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- Posts: 1186
- Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2020 6:44 am
Re: You gotta do this.
My results may be a complete flop but I'll enjoy trying.
Re: You gotta do this.
Hello and thanks for the idea! I collected some fern (appears to be Polypodium vulgare) spores in summer but put my hands on them only yesterday. Here's a quick photo of them with COL illumination, CZJ 16x Apo objective, mf-Projectiv 3,2x, Nikon D5200 camera on NfPk microscope. Single frame, also I tried shooting series with 40/0,95 objective and stack it but the result wasn't satisfying.
Gear list:
CZJ NfPk and Polmi A w/ 45mm apo objectives, Phv, Epi Pol, trinocular
Gamma Hungary 3D-condenser
LOMO ОИ-28 Fluorescence Attachment
Set of Leitz Photar macro lens
Nikon D500 DSLR
LOMO МС-2 microtome
CZJ NfPk and Polmi A w/ 45mm apo objectives, Phv, Epi Pol, trinocular
Gamma Hungary 3D-condenser
LOMO ОИ-28 Fluorescence Attachment
Set of Leitz Photar macro lens
Nikon D500 DSLR
LOMO МС-2 microtome
Re: You gotta do this.
Hello
A couple of years ago I put some fern spore pods from underside of fronds under the microscope and after about quarter of an hour I was surprised to see that they started firing spores about with like a little catapult - didn't know they did this - I found it quite fascinating. I have attached a pic and a video clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScTJ3rUd404
A couple of years ago I put some fern spore pods from underside of fronds under the microscope and after about quarter of an hour I was surprised to see that they started firing spores about with like a little catapult - didn't know they did this - I found it quite fascinating. I have attached a pic and a video clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScTJ3rUd404