See your specimens afresh using the amazing microscope

Student B and I have spent a very interesting afternoon photographing his wasps and bees using the lovely microscope and its camera. We tried to identify some but I fear my brain is starting to succumb to lack of sunshine - despite taking a walk at lunchtime. We did discover, however, that this amazing creature is one of the Chrysidoidea or Ruby-tailed wasps. There are 31 species in the UK! Who would have thought it. It makes me regret not spending more time searching for insects in the summer.

Look at the iridescence (don't look at the pin, which was a bit of a poor choice, being so enormous compared to the wasp). My boss suggested the vivid metallic colours might be a result of interference. The body is also quite bumpy, which must scatter the light even more and improve the effect? We were wondering why it should be so attractive, when it actually sneaks about parasitising other types of wasp. Who knows.

I haven't got many classes from now until Christmas, so if you want some help with your own samples, or to take some pictures, please do send an email or drop by. A few interesting photos would be great stuck into your notebook and annotated. I'm here until the bitter end, i.e. the week after the end of term.

Scientific names and their derivations

I have been busy over the last few weeks, and I imagine you've been working hard too. However, I seem to have fewer practicals to worry about between now and the end of term. So if you do want to come in to look at your plants or creatures, I can offer you both some time. Just send me an email (or turn up on spec if you prefer to live more on the edge).

I hope you are still managing to find things here and there, even if other assignments are taking precendence at the moment. I think it's good if you can go for a wander somewhere (as we did on the field trip to Lower Woods the other week) because you never know what you might find, and also it's beneficial to periodically relax your brain.

Andrena fulva, CC image by Sarah.

I was having a cup of tea outside the lab the other day and saw a small bee struggling on the ground. It was super furry and had a very orange bum - very striking. I looked it up and I think it was Andrena fulva, the Tawny mining bee. I can't imagine what an adult would be doing out at this time of year - they're more of a spring/early summer species. But it was rather nice.

Today I found something else you might like, a dictionary of scientific names. I've posted links to such things before, but this book is actually less than 100 years old, whatever next (it's not like Latin changes, does it). But this book is very clearly set out and I like it. So I thought I'd look up 'Andrena fulva', as quite often the translations can be quirky - plus it gives one an air of knowlegeability when you can translate a bit of Latin. However, it seems that 'Andrena' actually means 'bee', which is a bit of an unimaginative choice. And 'fulvus' means reddish yellow... you've guessed it, 'tawny'. Never mind. You may have more interesting results with your own species.
A link to the pdf: Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms by Donald J Borrer.

Some field notebooks from last year

Only part of Student T's excellent snail collection.

 I thought you might like to see some of the notebooks that were submitted last year.

They're called "field notebooks" because you're supposed to write in them in the field - so don't be precious about keeping yours all neat and tidy. Obviously you can't help bearing in mind that someone's going to look at it and mark it. But remember it's also there to aid your quest for knowledge. If you develop a habit of scribbling in it every time you pick up a specimen, you won't have to entrust your brain with all the details of where, when and what was about. The information will all be there, ready to help you with identification and labelling.

I admit it, I'm not too good at this habit myself. But it is one to cultivate. My favourite collection last year was Student T's snails. He got 13/15 for his notebook - the marker wrote "Excellent detail and diagrams - good note taking discipline". He found a lot of snails. He got very, very into it (he deserved his exceptional mark of 87% without a doubt). I admit, I found myself with Shell Envy when he brought in species I'd never seen before.

To jolly up your field notes, remember that "a picture paints a thousand words" - take a photo and annotate it. The pages above are from Student H's moss notebook. (She's just been in to collect her mosses and told me all about her ongoing moss-related placement in the Pennines. It sounds Amazing. She already has moss plans for her final year project. This is so gratifying to hear. I do hope some of you will similarly want to take your new skill further).

What's really lovely is if you can sketch a little diagram in the field (the markers love that) to give some similar context - the relative position of your seaweed on the beach, or the distinctive outline of your tree, or the way your mushroom was growing out of some rotten logs. This is detail and information that will be lost once you've spirited your specimen out of its habitat, but relatively easy to show with an annotated photo or diagram.

Another thing you could do is shown below - someone has plotted their finds on an aerial photograph. They've also given some reasons for why they tried the different locations (that they believed they would find different species living in woodlands, grasslands, and places with different types of soil).

Another important use for your notebook is to show the thinking behind your identifications. The writer of the  book below (it's snails again, you'll be thinking I'm obsessed) has carefully included
- the location and habitat
- the date
- a little sketch with measurements and whorl count
- a description of the snail's features
- and a run-through (with key couplet numbers) of a suitable snail key.
They've also got a little photo they've evidently taken through a microscope or lens.
Plus of course, they've recorded their eventual decision on the name of the creature at hand.
This is all very good.

The booklet below was kept by someone collecting spiders. It's quite interesting that they've stuck in a little aide-memoire table that reminds them to note different features like size, eye arrangement, type of web, etc. It's also useful that they mention what the spider was up to when they found it (in an orb web, wrapping up their dinner) - you really will forget this sort of thing unless you write it down in the field. I think maybe the page I've photographed is a bit thin on detail! But maybe it helps you get the idea. Overall they got a first. Considering you can get 15% on the notebook, making a bit of effort here really can make the difference to your overall mark.

Here's another appallingly out-of-focus photo from a more detailed spider notebook (apologies).  Hopefully you can see how a notebook can be both a bit messy and still contain lots of information. There's no need to spend time carefully copying stuff up neatly, or making it all mistake-free. Just record the things you find useful and interesting - the person marking it will recognise your effort.

Finally, below is a similar page from someone who did Hymenoptera (ants, wasps and bees). They've gone even fancier with coloured pencil. You might say, why not take a photo? But often you will find that a drawing is the best way to bring out the details that are important. We're used to seeing amazing photos on the internet and in nature documentaries. But taking them is actually very difficult. With a drawing you can focus attention on particular shapes, colours or patterns. Why faff about trying to photograph the claws on your beetle's tarsi (feet) if you can quickly sketch them? Don't be scared. This isn't the art class and there aren't extra points for... (whatever it is they hand out points for - I still don't really know even after being awarded a few over the years). Just try to make your drawing clear. And annotate it to make it even clearer. The markers will love it, and it'll help you absorb more information about your subject, in what I hope is turning out to be an enjoyable learning experience.