Some roses are growing in the desert

Desert Rose is the name given to rosette formations of the minerals gypsum and barite with sand inclusions. The 'petals' are crystals flattened, fanning open along characteristic gypsum cleavage planes. The rosette crystal habit tends to occur when the crystals form in arid sandy conditions, such as the evaporation of a shallow salt basin.

Whirling like a wheel

Rotifers are microscopic aquatic animals of the phylum Rotifera. Rotifers can be found in many freshwater environments and in moist soil, where they inhabit the thin films of water that are formed around soil particles. The habitat of rotifers may include still water environments, such as lake bottoms, as well as flowing water environments, such as rivers or streams.

How Do Flies Eat?

Fly Proboscis observed with a Motic B1 Upright Microscope

Flies have a special mouth part called a proboscis which, much like a straw, is used to drink liquids. The proboscis of the fly is a fascinating microscope object and in fact has been used on microscopy studies for a long time. The main interest is the tracheal ring structures which look spiral under low power but they are not.