I had attempted looking at some of our professor’s Baylands sludge under my Foldscope before, but was disappointed to see no little creatures floating around in their little microscope-slide pool.

This time, when I saw that little tupperware of disgusting slime in the classroom again, I was determined to find myself some little friends. Using the dropper provided in my Foldscope kit, I prepared a microscope slide of sludge water.

In preparing this sample, I was careful to lift each side of the coverslip up slightly with double-sided tape. I did this so that I wouldn’t inadvertently squish anything alive in the sludge. I swirled my dropper around in the mud, making sure to get an especially gross and chunky sample. Then I began to observe.

At first I thought I saw some movement, but after further observation realized that it was just bits of plant matter moving around in the water. I stared at the sample to no avail — no microorganisms revealed themselves to me.

Our professor mentioned that she got the sample during high tide, which could be a reason why I did not see any creatures. It’s also possible that the creatures were hiding out in the mossy chunks and I was unable to see them. Whatever the reason, I hope I get a chance to observe some more mud soon to try again.