concord grape juice 6months(1000X)

brie cheese1000X

Mono Lake water

kombucha jell

invisible mushroom spores

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I didn't expect to see an army of spores stuck on the mushrooms when I first observed the fungi under the microscope. Surprisingly, they looked similar to poppy seeds.

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Generally, mushrooms are only created to release its spores (reproduction). A larger branch of fungi underground grows mushrooms when the conditions are right. The sight of mushrooms also means that there are likely a large amount of organic matter near it as well since that's how fungi are able to grow (by breaking down the organic matter).

Mono Lake water and Tufa Towers

Over the summer, I took a trip to Mammoth lake and encountered something I've never seen before:  a salty lake!!!

The lake was called Mono Lake and the reason for its saltiness is because there is no place for water to leave the lake: mountains flow water down to the lake but since the only way for the water to leave is by evaporation, it is saline.

Some fun facts: The lake is covered in brine shrimp, attracting A LOT of bird to the shore line! The lake was also nicknamed as the lake that is "saltier than the sea"!

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If you've seen my posts about drying lubricant tear drops and baking sodas, then this must seem a bit familiar to you. I also dried some of the mono lake water I collected and sure enough, they showed the similar image as the other two substances I tested with! The likely reason for this is because water is alkaline and has a pH level of around 10. The other reason is, like stated earlier, the water is extremely salty.

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The water also creates pillars around the lake called tufa towers. Below is a deeper description of how the towers are formed by the calcium and carbonates 

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My June bug is...

BEFORE YOU READ THE POST:

I didn't observe the June bug under the microscope because it meant I had to dissect the bug because of its large mass and I felt too sorry to do this.

The pictures you will see are macro photos.

But I hope you all still enjoy this post!

 I think we've all seen these bugs throughout the summer: with very loud wings and the tendency to chase you around at times.

 But I think you may also know that they only live for a short time . . . except one particular bug.. 

At around August, I found a June bug on the sidewalk nearly dead (it was nonmoving) and I decided to try and revive it.

I gave the bug a piece of peach and . . . it sprang to life!!!
Eventually it became strong enough the hang onto the leaf stems and move its wings around!

The June bug survived for three more months before dying but what I realized from this was that maybe June bugs were dying early because there was a lack of food.

Regardless, it was a great experience observing the bug because I was able to learn various facts such as the June bug being picky and not eating the same types of fruit I gave it multiple times. I also realized the shiny green coat the bug has doesn't go away after it dies but stays on, which slightly surprised me.