December 2020
A Walk in the Rain -- December 20, 2020
This was the view from our upstairs window. It had been raining hard for a day. Water was pouring into the wetlands. While it was still raining I put on my rain coat and boots, took an umbrella, two cameras and four collection jars and headed for a walk in the wetlands.
Another view of the wetlands. The water was moving.
This is where the water from the wetlands goes under Bethany Boulevard. More water than I had ever seen.
Moss on our rock wall.
The photo quality was poor while standing in the rain holding both a camera and an umbrella. So what I did was I put samples in my collection jar and then, in the comfort of my home, I took better photos. This is probably the same type of moss that you see in the photo above this image. This moss has produced a sporangia where the spores are formed. In order to disperse the spores the sporangia grows away from the rock to where the wind is stronger.
A Fall Leaf on the last day of fall.
A mystery. Perhaps something the coyotes did not want to eat. If so, there was no evidence of the rest of the animal.
More moss on the rock wall.
Swordfern
A small swordfern
The top.
The bottom. Notice that the veins are dark. The brown dots are sori, a cluster of sporangia were spores are formed.
A view of two sori using a microscope. The veins are dark.
Same view but sending the light thru the fern. With transmitted light the veins are lighter. I think the sori are empty. The spores have gone.
Compare the above to this photo taken in June when the spores were still there.
Duckweed
Duckweed. I collected a small sample. It looks like the duckweed is right-side up. Each plant should have a root growing down but I have never seen the root.
Microscope image with light from the top.
Microscope image with light from below. The root is visible at lower right. It looks like cells are visible at upper left.
Flipping a duckweed over makes the root easy to see.
Moss from a Twig
The leaves may look the same but this moss is very different from the previous one. The sporangia is located among the leaves.
Microscope image. The sporangia is like a saltshaker but filled with spores. Since this moss grows on tree branches there is no need for a stalk on the sporangia. There will be plenty of wind blowing thru the moss.
Tube Lichen
This tube lichen was growing on a twig.
Many smaller tubes branch from a large tube. This process is repeated to make a small bush.
Microscope image with reflected light. Mostly, we see the fibers of the fungus.
Microscope image with light passing thru the lichen. Now we see colonies of algae that grow within the fungus fibers.
This moss liked to send out runners.
An enlarged image showing one runner.
Trailing Blackberry Leaf
This blackberry is a common, native plant that usually stays close to the ground. The leaf is covered with hairs. This can be seen where the leaf curls over in the upper right. Each leaf has three leaflets. I picked this leaf because of the red color. The leaf is sitting on top of my collection jar.
The backside of the leaf is not as shiny and it seems whiter. The major vein is on the outside of the leaf and you might be able to see some of the thorns on this vein. The secondary veins are clearly visible. To me, they look like road maps of housing developments.
Microscope image with light shining on the top of the leaf.
Same image but with light shining thru the leaf. The secondary veins now stand out.
The stem of the leaf showing one thorn and small hairs.
The vein on the underside of the leaf showing small hairs.
A "tooth" on the edge of the leaf showing small hairs.
Rhizenes
The lichen at the end of this twig have feet called rhizenes. These feet are only used to anchor the lichen. Unlike roots, rhizenes do not transport water or nutrients.
In this microscope image we see the top side of the lichen.
Rhizenes are growing out of the botom side of the lichen in this image.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Continue to February 2021