Poole Reference Library Microscope Display

Saturday 5th October 2024

Debbie Burfitt

Poole Reference Library gave the Quekett Microscope Club and the Bournemouth Natural Science Society (BNSS) a warm welcome to return for another Saturday event at the Dolphin Centre in Poole. Grenham Ireland, Jacque Bainbridge, and Debbie Burfitt set up a variety of microscopes with a large variety of material to look at. Despite the lift to the second floor being broken, we had a steady stream of family visitors all day.

Grenham Ireland setting upGrenham Ireland setting up

Grenham had an extremely impressive display of barnacles from Poole Harbour. With a video camera set up over his rock sample, the barnacles could be observed actively filter-feeding by their cirri emerging from their surrounding protective plates, beating outwards to form a cup-shaped fan. To prove the efficiency of their particulate feeding strategy, there was also a light microscope sample showing the detailed structure of a thoracic appendage. When asked by the children what the barnacles were feeding on, Grenham got them to look down the stereo microscope which showed a zooplankton sample collected from the entrance of Poole Harbour. This showed mainly active copepods and a few nauplii as an example of particulates caught from the surface water. Adults and children alike were really fascinated by these underwater activities they had not seen before.

Microscopes and monitorMicroscopes and monitor

Barnacles on the monitorBarnacles on the monitor

Jacque brought a huge variety of specimens from the BNSS including an impressive variety of granites, a dinosaur bone, and a range of spiders, bees, flies and moth wings, including flies preserved in amber. Children were spoiled for choice to view so many different objects using magnifiers and binocular microscopes. The “fool’s gold” and sparkly rocks always seemed to bring out the most enthusiastic responses. As always, the insects also caused a great deal of interest amongst the younger visitors.

Rocks etceteraRocks etcetera

Debbie brought a variety of pond plants from Dunshay Manor (thanks to the Landmark Trust for letting me loose on their pond), in addition to some seaweeds, mosses, lichens, and flowering plants from Arne. Parents and children alike were encouraged to make their own live temporary mounts to examine a plant sample of their choice using two light microscopes. Children seemed most captivated by the ability to place a drop of water onto the slide by using a teat pipette. One parent (a primary school teacher) was quite taken by the value of a hand lens when we discussed the diagnostic structural features of bell heather and sea lavender. It’s surprising how the simplest microscope equipment can bring out such excitement.

Pond plants, lichen, etceteraPond plants, lichen, etcetera

We kept our display out in the library all day, and there was little time to pause as there was a continual arrival of families throughout the day. Even the library staff ventured over to have a look before we packed up the display.

Hanna Robert’s response to our microscope display was:

“Thank you all so much for coming on Saturday, I’ve heard from my colleagues that the display was amazing, and it was well attended by the public. We are very appreciative that you can put on these free interactive displays and would love to host you again in the future if that is a possibility.”

It was an enjoyable day for all of us.

Report by Debbie Burfitt

↑ Top of page