microcosmicobservations

[microcosmicobservations]

Ahhh I'm excited because I wasn't anticipating seeing any spring ephemerals yet, let alone one I don't see as often as the others, Hepatica! It's so precious. 😭

#spring ephemeral #hepatica #flower #botany

[microcosmicobservations]

I intend on getting back into making educational YouTube videos this year. I have had to take a break to reset after my last video, since I made it to prove to my committee that I could make my thesis topic interesting and understandable to people outside of academia, and the pressure and perfectionism kinda sucked a lot of the joy out of it. If I am going to make content of any kind, I need it to be less performative and more excitedly sharing nature facts with friends. I need it to not feel like work, so that means less produced, less edited videos and more just hanging out. I'm excited to get back into making science communication my hobby again instead of trying to make it my job. :)

[microcosmicobservations]

I am still very much being consumed by my new hobby making terrariums. I have been trying to pace myself, yet I have made six terrariums in the past two months. But I adore them, and I spend so much time looking into them.

Anyway I found this teeny tiny mushroom (Rickenella fibula?) in my moss propagation container of moss collected from the wild.

#rickenella #mushroom #fungi #terrarium

[microcosmicobservations]

From October 2023

#mushroom #mycology #nature #outdoors #woods #photography

[microcosmicobservations]

I've noticed that moss tends to change its growth form a bit after a few weeks in a terrarium. For example the moss in the last picture was all one uniform height when I collected it, but now it has new sprigs of growth that are reaching to the sky. With houseplants there is something called etiolation that happens when the plant needs more light, and it gets leggy as a result. Upon googling this moss in terrariums phenomenon, a lot of folks seemed to believe the same applies to moss, that it just needs more light. But I collected this moss from the forest understory, and I highly doubt light is the influencing factor here. Others suggest it has to do with the lack of air movement paired with the constant high humidity levels. This seems more likely too me, though I don't fully understand why it would cause them to inhabit a different growth form.

Anyone who knows more about moss want to chime in?

#moss #nature #terrarium #plants

[microcosmicobservations]

The windchill is -15 degrees F today, but inside I've finally introduced springtails to my terrariums. I also set up an experimental terrarium for *science*. Unfortunately I'm impatient and wish science would happen a little faster.

#terrarium #springtail #cw bugs

[microcosmicobservations]

I made my second terrarium yesterday, and today Wisconsin is experiencing the first major snowstorm this winter. I cannot even begin to describe how happy I am to have my own lush little ecosystems inside.

#also been FIGHTING fungus gnats from my potted plants so this gives me a way to have moisture loving plants without also generating gnats #terrarium #houseplants #moss

[microcosmicobservations]

I went out into the woods to collect moss for my next terrarium (yes, there is already a next terrarium in the works, and I cannot stop thinking about it), which is a bit challenging when everything is frozen and covered in snow. Fortunately a lot of species of moss tucked away in nooks and crannies that aren't so frozen.

Anyway, if there's anything I've learned the past couple years, it's that there are usually tiny critters in moss. I wondered what would emerge after I let it warm up overnight. I found this little guy this morning. Perhaps a mite? I'm curious what will come out of dormancy and populate my terrarium over time.

#moss #terrarium #bugs

[microcosmicobservations]

The cashier at the craft store asked me what I planned on doing with the miniature corked bottle. I didn't want to tell her, but I couldn't think of a different response fast enough. "Well," I said, "I thought it would be funny to put a mini terrarium in a terrarium." She didn't quite understand my enthusiasm.

Anyway, here is my Terrarium Experiment 1.0. I wanted an indoor project for the winter, something I could watch and check the progress on. I eventually would like to make a bioactive terrarium with springtails and isopods, but I fully expect to fail at this a few times first and would feel bad if I killed off a bunch of arthropods.

#terrarium #fern #plants

[microcosmicobservations]

Have you ever gone somewhere that you shouldn't be admiring the decay but you do because you love lichens and really decomposition as a whole

#lichen #decomposition #nature

[microcosmicobservations]

Mushrooms and moss and a single black cherry

#mushroom #mycology #fungi #nature #outdoors #macro

[microcosmicobservations]

Shrimp of the woods was long thought to be the result of honey mushrooms parasitizing Entoloma abortivum, and in the past few decades we've thought maybe it's the opposite - that Entoloma is parasitizing Armillaria mellea. I'm not sure what the research is saying most recently (please enlighten us if you are aware of the latest research), but the woods where I found these shrimps had no fruiting honey mushrooms and plenty of Entoloma abortivum.

#shrimp of the woods #entoloma #armillaria #fungi #mycology #mushroom #nature #outdoors #science

[microcosmicobservations]

Fall hike

#mycology #nature #outdoors #fungi #mushroom #slime mold #myxomycete #fungus #mycena #puffball #jelly fungus #ascocorne

[microcosmicobservations]

Giant puffballs look uncanny in the woods, like someone just left a volleyball on the forest floor. This aged puffball looks even more absurd with the tread of someone's shoe imprinted upon it.

#mycology #puffball #mushroom #fungi #nature #outdoors

[microcosmicobservations]

Can we talk about how cute springtails are? I brought this piece of wood home to look at the slime mold, and this springtail came along for the ride.

#macro #microscope #slime mold #springtail #nature #outdoors

[microcosmicobservations]

Does anyone know what this is? It definitely is an ascomycete, not a slime mold. The only thing I've seen like this is Holwaya mucida, but this looks just different enough to not be that.

#mycology #nature #fungi #macro

[microcosmicobservations]

Bringing home bits of wood with slime mold on them and looking at them under the microscope is my happy place.

#slime mold #myxomycete #nature #outdoors #microscope #macro