Jannie Yu

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 <img alt="IMG_7036" class="wp-image-141028 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="141028" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}' data-image-title="IMG_7036" data-recalc-dims="1" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_141025/IMG_7036.jpg"/>
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 This is an image of the water sample taken from Turtle Pond at Caltech. The microscopic spots on the image are likely small bacteria (observed them moving) and chunks of pond gunk from the plants. The sample was obtained on 4/8/19 at around 7:45 PM by our TA. The sample was obtained by sticking a tube into the water and collecting the liquid into a small plastic vial. Some of the questions that I have about my image include: 1.) Using the foldscope and perhaps some easy-to-access resources, what are some methods that I can use to see more in my images? 2.) How can I identify what I am seeing in my sample? For 1, one could potentially use difference light sources (UV light, etc) and stains to accent some parts of the organisms. Also, one could use a better camera to capture and focus on what is going on under the lens. For 2, one could potentially go through samples of identified common organisms that live in still water ponds and verify them. This would also be cross referenced with multiple sample images of the pond water to verify that the identified organisms do exist in the pond. #caltechbi1

Turtle Pond Water Sample Observations

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 <img alt="IMG_7288-1" class="wp-image-146636 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="146636" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1556891680","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"25","shutter_speed":"0.00016700066800267","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7288-1" height="764" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_146471/IMG_7288-1.jpeg" width="573"/>
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 This is an image of a hibiscus pollen grain sample taken with a Foldscope. The pollen grains are bright yellow, circular, and differed in size. They were carefully separated in order to see the grains clearly. The sample was taken at 2:00 PM on May 3, 2019 from a hibiscus flower next to Page House at Caltech.

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 <img alt="IMG_7311" class="wp-image-146633 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="146633" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1556892219","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.003030303030303","title":"","orientation":"1"}' data-image-title="IMG_7311" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_146471/IMG_7311.jpeg"/>
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 The sample was obtained by directly tapping on the stamen of a flower to make the pollen fall directly on a glass slide. This ensured that our sample didn’t get contaminated by anything else in the environment. The plastic top slip was immediately placed above the pollen and taped down onsite.


 The plant species of the pollen is Hibiscus rose-sinensis, or commonly known as Chinese hibiscus or shoeblackplant. After looking online, I discovered that if one took a careful scanning electron microscopy image of the pollen grains, they would find a spherical grain with numerous round tip spines. With further research online, I found out that this was a common feature for pollen of many plant species. This feature is likely advantageous to the plant because it allows the pollen grains to latch onto something while traveling to new destinations.


 #caltechbi1



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 <img alt="IMG_7311" class="gcloudimg"/>
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Hibiscus Pollen Sample Observations

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 <img alt="IMG_7401-4" class="wp-image-152610 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152610" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559065226","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.0013679890560876","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7401-4" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152609/IMG_7401-4.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 This is the end of the abdomen of a common household ant.
 
 
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 This is a picture of the end of a common ant’s abdomen. It is fascinating that the ant is almost clear on the surface of its body near the end of its abdomen. It gets its coloring from spots that radially surround the long axis fo the abdomen. It is unclear if the spots are part of the surface of the ant, or if we are viewing the internal of the ant.

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7396" class="wp-image-152839 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152839" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559065103","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.0010438413361169","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="IMG_7396" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152609/IMG_7396.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 This is a picture of the legs of the ant.
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 This is a picture of the legs of the ant. One can clearly view the joints of the ant, as they are slightly shaded darker than the rest of the legs. From this image, we can see small chunks of muscle on the leg; this updates my previous conception that ants have thin stick legs with minimal muscle for mobility.


 For this activity, we found a dead ant outside near Lloyd House and Ruddock House at Caltech. This was obtained at 3:15 PM on May 28, 2019. The ant was found by sifting through dry soil and picked up carefully by a sanitized tweezer. It was then transferred to a clean q-tip to brush off dust. Afterwards, slide and a dry slip was placed directly over the ant and taped down before viewing. #caltechbi1

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 <img alt="IMG_7380-4" class="wp-image-152611 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152611" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559064150","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"25","shutter_speed":"0.0084745762711864","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7380-4" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152609/IMG_7380-4.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Picture of the ant before placing it on the slide.
 </figcaption>
</figure>

Observations of Common Household Ant Body Sample

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 <img alt="IMG_7407-5" class="wp-image-152884 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152884" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559066375","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"32","shutter_speed":"0.0021231422505308","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7407-5" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152858/IMG_7407-5.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Close up of a feather down from a puffer coat
 </figcaption>
</figure>
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 <img alt="IMG_7409-2" class="wp-image-152929 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152929" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559066427","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.0012853470437018","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7409-2" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152858/IMG_7409-2.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 2nd close up of a feather down from a puffer coat
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 These are image close-ups of a feather. This specific strand comes from one single strand that comes out of the feather’s stalk. We can observe that the small strands that are coming out of the main strand are the interlocking barbules that hold the larger feather strands together.


 This sample was taken from a feather down that fell out of a puffer vest that I own in my room. I obtained this while I was in my room at Caltech on May 28, 2019 at 3:30 PM. The feather was poking out of my vest, so I simply took it off with a tweezer and directly transferred onto a slide and slipped a dry slip over it. #caltechbi1

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 <img alt="IMG_7414-4" class="wp-image-152925 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152925" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559066526","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.032258064516129","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7414-4" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152858/IMG_7414-4.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Picture of feather down used to make observations with in this post
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7545" class="wp-image-153308 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153308" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559260686","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"160","shutter_speed":"0.25","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7545" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152858/IMG_7545.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Feather was taken from this vest
 </figcaption>
</figure>

Observations of a Feather Down Sample

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 <img alt="IMG_7450" class="wp-image-152951 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152951" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559213824","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"40","shutter_speed":"0.05","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7450" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152949/IMG_7450.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Leaf sample from a strawberry
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 This is an image of a leaf from a strawberry. It’s fascinating to view the veins of the leaf, as leaves depend on the vascular system to move the water and nutrients up into the rest of the plant cells. Furthermore, you can see the plant cell walls clearly in the picture.


 The leaf was taken from a strawberry. The strawberry was obtained from the North House’s Open Kitchen at Caltech on May 30, 2019 at 9:20 AM. After obtaining the strawberry, one of the leaves was plucked off and gently placed on a glass slide. Additional water was placed on the leaf before putting the slip over it.

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7439-1" class="wp-image-152971 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152971" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559213546","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.0049751243781095","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="IMG_7439-1" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152949/IMG_7439-1.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Picture of prepared sample.
 </figcaption>
</figure>
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 <img alt="IMG_7438" class="wp-image-153861 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153861" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559213315","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.00086730268863833","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="IMG_7438" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152949/IMG_7438.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Picture of strawberry used for sample
 </figcaption>
</figure>
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 <img alt="IMG_5854" class="wp-image-153865 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153865" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1538471939","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"40","shutter_speed":"0.038461538461538","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="IMG_5854" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152949/IMG_5854-1.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Small bucket of berries that I obtained the strawberry from
 </figcaption>
</figure>

Observations of Strawberry Sample

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 <img alt="IMG_7460" class="wp-image-152997 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152997" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559214722","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.0026041666666667","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7460" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152992/IMG_7460.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Close-up of the end of the style of raspberry. The red part makes up the end of the style that stuck to the drupelets of the raspberry.
 </figcaption>
</figure>
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 <img alt="IMG_7461" class="wp-image-152998 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152998" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559214735","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"40","shutter_speed":"0.05","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7461" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152992/IMG_7461.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Close-up of the stalk of one of the raspberry’s style. Once one takes a closer observation, they will see that the stalk is actually yellow in color instead of red like the raspberry.
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7462" class="wp-image-152999 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="152999" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559214814","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"25","shutter_speed":"0.0021231422505308","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7462" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152992/IMG_7462.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Another picture of raspberry’s style. This is really cool because we can observe the texture here. There is some sort of twisted ridges that surround the style of the raspberry.
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 Descriptions of each image were done in the “captions” part of each image.


 This sample was taken from a raspberry. The raspberry was obtained from the North House’s Open Kitchen at Caltech on May 30, 2019. The raspberry was then taken to my room. A tweezer was used to take out some of the styles of the raspberry that stuck to the drupelets. The styles were in transferred to a glass slide before placing a slip over it. #caltechbi1

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7459-1" class="wp-image-153057 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153057" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559214629","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.00625","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7459-1" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152992/IMG_7459-1.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Prepared slide before viewing
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7457" class="wp-image-153056 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153056" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559214464","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.033333333333333","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7457" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152992/IMG_7457.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Picture of raspberry used for sample
 </figcaption>
</figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_5854" class="wp-image-153858 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153858" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1538471939","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"40","shutter_speed":"0.038461538461538","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="IMG_5854" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_152992/IMG_5854.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Small bucket of berries that I obtained the raspberry from
 </figcaption>
</figure>

Observations of Raspberry Sample

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7479" class="wp-image-153070 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153070" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559215508","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"32","shutter_speed":"0.0042553191489362","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7479" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153068/IMG_7479.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Image of a shiitake mushroom’s gill slivers. These slivers were originally white-yellow when dried, but after creating a wet sample and seeing it under the fold scope, it was interesting to see that it was actually tan-grey in color.
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7484" class="wp-image-153072 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153072" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559215567","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"40","shutter_speed":"0.0021231422505308","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7484" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153068/IMG_7484.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 We can see the gill sliver in more detail and texture here. I observe that the sliver is made up of sheets; near the end, we see that layers of sheets get broken up and you have a much more transparent part of the the gill sample.
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 Descriptions of each image were done in the “captions” part of each image.


 This sample was obtained from a bag of dried of shiitake mushrooms bought from HMart. The sample slide was prepared at Caltech on May 29, 2019 at 3:00 PM in my own room. To get the gills, I carefully scraped the gills of a dried mushroom and placed the small shards on a glass slide. After, I placed a drop of water before placing a slip and taping it down. #caltechbi1

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7544" class="wp-image-153283 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153283" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559258886","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"40","shutter_speed":"0.05","title":"","orientation":"3"}' data-image-title="IMG_7544" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153068/IMG_7544.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Package of the dried mushrooms
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7466" class="wp-image-153111 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153111" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559215034","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"25","shutter_speed":"0.01063829787234","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7466" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153068/IMG_7466.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Picture of shittake mushroom sample before scraping the gills off with tweezers
 </figcaption>
</figure>

Observations of  Dried Shiitake Sample

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7488" class="wp-image-153145 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153145" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559215866","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.0018484288354898","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7488" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153140/IMG_7488.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Sample of pink stalk roots on succulent plant. You can see the fiber lines of the roots, along with the epidermis, which is the outermost cell layer of the primary plant body. The epidermis is especially noticeable at the end of the stalk.
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7491" class="wp-image-153149 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153149" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559215907","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"25","shutter_speed":"0.0042553191489362","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7491" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153140/IMG_7491.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 This is another sample taken of one of the root stalks. This root stalk is much drier, and looks more dead in comparison to the the one in the previous picture. The stalk is browner in hue, meaning that there are less live cells in this stalk, which would help produce the pink pigment color.
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 Descriptions of each image were done in the “captions” part of each image.


 The root stalks are part of a common household succulent plant that are part of my collection of succulents in my room at Caltech. I took the samples in my room on May 29, 2019 at 8:30 AM. The root stalks were taken by using tweezers to pull a couple stalks off the side and then breaking them into shorter pieces before placing them on the slide. Prior to placing a cover slip over them, water was dropped over to create a wet sample. #caltechbi1

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7538" class="wp-image-153288 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153288" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559258824","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"25","shutter_speed":"0.025","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="IMG_7538" data-recalc-dims="1" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153140/IMG_7538.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Succulent plant used to take samples from
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7543" class="wp-image-153291 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153291" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559258861","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"32","shutter_speed":"0.033333333333333","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="IMG_7543" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153140/IMG_7543.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 If you look closely, you can see the pink stalk roots coming out of the succulent
 </figcaption>
</figure>

Observations of Pink Stalk Roots on Succulent Plant

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7518" class="wp-image-153179 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153179" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559216585","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"32","shutter_speed":"0.0021231422505308","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7518" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153175/IMG_7518.jpeg"/>
</figure>

 This is the fleshy meat of a succulent plant. We can clearly see the cell walls that retain the water and hold the green dots observed in the image. The green dots are chloroplasts, which are green structures which contain the pigment chlorophyll. They absorb light energy which is then used in photosynthesis to make sugars.

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7498" class="wp-image-153188 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153188" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559216163","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"20","shutter_speed":"0.019230769230769","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7498" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153175/IMG_7498-2.jpeg"/>
</figure>

 Afterwards, I was really curious to see what I would observe if I took dry slivers of the succulent’s “leaf”. These slivers previously held fleshy meat, but were now brown and dry. With this close-up, I can observe that there are no longer any green chloroplasts, as the leaf no longer is part of the plant and doesn’t receive nutrients nor water from the main plant. Also, I see empty pockets in between the orange-yellow lumps, which I predict are places that were previously saturated with water.

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7513" class="wp-image-153195 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153195" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559216550","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"40","shutter_speed":"0.0021231422505308","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="IMG_7513" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153175/IMG_7513.jpeg"/>
</figure>

 I further wanted to check out the epidermis of a leaf, which is the outermost cell layer of the plant body. This was one of the most fascinating things that I can seen; the epidermis also held sections of cell walls, meaning that the side is also lined with cell bodies.


 The samples were obtained from a common household succulent plant that are part of my collection of succulents in my room at Caltech. I took the samples in my room on May 29, 2019 at 8:45 AM.


 To get the fleshy meat of a succulent plant, I tore off a piece of a leaf from the plant and used tweezers to pull out some meat from the leaf. The meat was transferred to a slide before placing a slip over it.


 To get the dry slivers of the succulent’s “leaf”, I took a dead leaf on the ground of the pot’s soil and used tweezers to pull out some sheets of dry leaf. The sheets were transferred to a slide before placing a slip over it.


 To get the epidermis of a leaf, I used the same piece of leaf from the first sample and used tweezers to tear off the outermost sheet that covered the leaf. This sheet is likely used to hold and retain water for the succulent. The sheet was transferred to a slide before placing a slip over it. #caltechbi1

<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7538" class="wp-image-153295 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153295" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559258824","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"25","shutter_speed":"0.025","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="IMG_7538" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153175/IMG_7538-1.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Succulent plant used to gather samples from
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="IMG_7541" class="wp-image-153296 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="153296" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 7","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1559258843","copyright":"","focal_length":"3.99","iso":"40","shutter_speed":"0.0083333333333333","title":"","orientation":"6"}' data-image-title="IMG_7541" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_153175/IMG_7541.jpeg"/>
 <figcaption>
 Closer look at the leaves of the succulent plant
 </figcaption>
</figure>

Jannie Yu

Earth

Posts

Observations of Raspberry Sample

Observations of Dried Shiitake Sample

Observations of Pink Stalk Roots on Succulent Plant

Observations of Fleshy Meat of Succulent Plant

Turtle Pond Water Sample Observations

Hibiscus Pollen Sample Observations

Observations of Common Household Ant Body Sample

Observations of a Feather Down Sample

Observations of Strawberry Sample

Observations of Raspberry Sample

Observations of Dried Shiitake Sample

Observations of Pink Stalk Roots on Succulent Plant

Observations of Fleshy Meat of Succulent Plant

Turtle Pond Water Sample Observations

Hibiscus Pollen Sample Observations

Observations of Common Household Ant Body Sample

Observations of a Feather Down Sample

Observations of Strawberry Sample

Observations of Raspberry Sample

Observations of Dried Shiitake Sample

Observations of Pink Stalk Roots on Succulent Plant

Observations of Fleshy Meat of Succulent Plant

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