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How fine is the possibility to borrow books from far away libraries! Just got the Bibliography of Copepoda by W. Verwoort from the library of Helsinki university. One can live and work on the countryside and still have access to fine literature.

Participated a course arranged by the Finnish Environment Institute on Thursday in Helsinki. Soon we will be able to send the results of our phytoplankton countings to the national database for phtyoplankton, which is again linked to the national database for all the information concerning the surface waters (place, physical and chemical information...). And be able to use this information. And combine the information. On line. Wow!

Found this journal, Inland Water Biology. There are wonderfull photo's of diatoms by S.I. Genkal. And many articles about zooplankton too, this fascinating group that many times is forgotten. What makes it extra interesting on these lati- and longitudes is the fact that many articles deal with Karelian waters. Take a look!

I often feel quite uncomfortable, when I see some strange green balls under the microscope. If these green algae are the kind that I don't know so well. And if I have difficulties identifying them. So that I don't know in which group they belong to. So that I don't now their background. So that I don't know how I should handle them. It does not feel good.In these cases there is nothing else for me to do, than to leave them for what they are and call them with a group name, like Chlorophyceae, that covers all the possible green balls. And keep on hoping, that One Day I will find the information...

Got this telephone call from a consulting company. There had been complaints that something smelled like cow dung at a lake, so they took a sample from the ice on this lake. The farmers are not yet busy... They could see something in the sample.I had some difficulties trying to identify the species on the telephone... In the last sample of the year there had been a lot of the diatom Aulacoseira islandica. Perhaps it was that. I asked if they could send me a some of that sample. They could.This is what I saw:Aulacoseira indeed. And after a closer look I could be positive, that it is islandica.&...

Went on a ski-tour the other day and found some open water in the middle of the field:No, that's not me on the photo. It's our beloved dog, Drosjna, 13 years old and still going strong. Here you have a shadow of me:Was wondering what kind of algae would like to live there. Came back another day with an empty bottle and see here the result:9-10,5 x 25-34 µmNavicula's all over, gliding elegantly over the chamber bottom. Have to take a closer look to be able to give these busy fellows a better name. Any suggestions?

This Unidentified Floating Object does not remain unidentified for a long time, not even for a beginner. At least, if there is some decent literature at hand. Desmatractum indutum, 9x55 µm. Looks like an alien space ship. But it is a green-algae: Desmatractum indutum. Belongs to the little family of Treubariaceae. According to Komárek & Fott (1983). And Algaebase. The wonderful Dutch species list - TWN – has another opinion and lifts the Trebouxiophyceae to an own class under the division Chlorophyta. Interesting… There are more weird little things in this family. What they have in common ...

All right, I will make an appointment. Next week. The first thing.I have been thinking about going to the hairdresser a couple of weeks already. Maybe it has something to do with a new year beginning, that I want to have something new – if not in, then at least – on my head. Was thinking about a Siimes-look, about 5 mm long hair, but it’s a bit too cold for it at the moment. Last time I visited a hairdresser is about… must be about four years ago. So, you do understand, that this is not that kind of a decision I make hastily.And then, yesterday, I saw these with the scope:and I thought if even...

Checking the samples this week saw the fine little golden-algae Chrysolykos planctonicus in the Dutch water. In the Finnish waters this species rejoices my days frequently, but not too often in the Low Land waters. This species is one of my all time favorites. Makes me think of a swimming cow, somehow. No wonder it makes me happy.Chrysolykos plactonicus B. Mack 1951, size about 10-20 micrometers. According to Tikkanen it is a species mostly occuring in oligotrophic waters. Enough of that in Finland. Even though the limit for biomass for eutrophic water is as low as 2,5 mg/l (Heinonen 1980). An...

...after a minor brake I thought I'd start blogging again... It sure takes a bit of effort to get used to the Dutch waters again. Seeing different species,  and more rubbish (if you don't mind me being so direct) and last but not least using the very different, less intensive way of counting the samples. Why does for example the species Hortobagyiella verrucosa not want to drift in the Finnish waters? Or has somebody seen it here already? Now that I come to think about this name, Hortobagyiella ... it probably has something to do with our far-away relatives, the Hungarians. There is this big n...