Toxic Taxus baccata

Taxus baccata has deep dark green needles all year round. It is an evergreen tree that is also often used as a hedge. In winter, Taxus bears red fruits that are much loved by birds, but very poisonous to ungulates.

Taxus baccata is usually a sturdy shrub that, if given space, can grow into a tree. Growth is slow but eventually the tree can reach a height of about 15 to 20 meters with a width of 12 to 15 meters. The species is widely used for hedges and also for topiary. Bulbs, cones, columns and even animal shapes are available. Taxus can tolerate very strong pruning, even down to the perennial wood.

Myriophyllum beautiful but a nuisance

Myriophyllum or Red stem is a water plant that prefers to take root on the transition from land to water. The stems can grow up to 2 meters long and protrude a few decimetres above the water. Red stem grows particularly well in shallow, warm and nutrient-rich waters. The plant usually roots in shallow riparian zones, but free-floating stems without roots can also survive in nutrient-rich deep water. Red stem is originally from South America.

Myriophyllum was imported for trade in pond and aquarium plants. The plants come into nature because people throw away excess plants in public waters, after which they can spread further.

Volvox bloom

Volvox is a popular alga among microscopists because of the beautiful images it produces under the microscope. The volvox in the video was unexpectedly found in a pool in Eindhoven, the Netherlands in early November 2019. There were so many of these species present that one could speak of a bloom.

The green alga Volvox is a colony of cells that have started to work together. Some cells catch the light, others provide movement or reproduction. They have become so dependent on each other that you can speak of a multicellular organism.

Does this grow into a stink bug?

The Common green stinkbug or Palomena prasina is a common bug. You can find it in large parts of Europe, North Africa and the temperate parts of Asia. The bug has adapted to all kinds of biotopes such as forests, grasslands with suitable shrubs, marshes, gardens and parks, as long as food plants grow.

Easy observation and filming of plankton

When investigating water samples within the framework of hydrobiology, it is very easy to observe and film plankton with the Motic AE31E inverted microscope and the Moticam 1080 camera. The plankton containing water sample is stored in a culture dish, the bottom of which is formed by a calibrated cover glass. The dish is simply placed on the microscope stage. The Moticam 1080 is connected to a monitor. As soon as an interesting organism appears on the monitor screen, it only needs a simple mouse click to record the image.