Foldscope image with direct light source of a pollen sample from the Eschscholzia californica (California Poppy)
Location of California Poppy (orange flowers in the image) was in CALTECH’s campus on the north side of the east end of the Olive Walk (Pasadena, CA)
Image of Eschscholzia californica, also known as California poppy or golden poppy. Pollen can be seen in the center of the flower near the stamen and on the petals. (Note: ruler scale is in centimeters)
This sample was acquired in the California Institute of Technology (CALTECH) Campus in Pasadena, California. The sample was located in the garden area near the east entrance of Lloyd House at the north side of the east end of the Olive Walk. The sample was obtained at 12:33 pm (PDT) on Thursday, May 9, 2019.
In order to collect the sample, I cut the stem of one of the flowers to detach the flower from its roots. I then opened the petals of the flower to expose the stamen, which are the pollen producing parts of the plant, and then carefully shook the flower’s center over a clean microscope slide. This simple shaking movement caused most of the pollen to drop onto the slide. I then placed a cover slip over the part of the microscope slide that had the pollen and secured the slip with a small piece of tape.
In the Foldscope image, I used a direct light source from a desk lamp to illuminate my sample. In the image, we can see numerous pollen grains of a greenish-yellow color that have slightly thick cell walls. These pollen grains are involved in producing the male gametes of the flower.
After further research on the flower that the pollen was obtained from, I discovered that this particular flower is from the family Papveracea and is the species Eschscholzia californica, which is also known as the California poppy or golden poppy. It is also the state flower of California.
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