Amphipods in a Jar

The peanut butter jar ecosystems I keep, along with the microscope, live in the room which by default becomes our library as well as the, "goodness, visitors are arriving...better dump that junk in the spare room" room.

As things go, the ecosystems were a bit out of reach for a few months until I finally made an effort to sort through a few piles of junk recently.

I was very happy to find that some of the systems, resting comfortably near the window, have not only survived, but thrived.

One is just filled with Amphipods...given their abundance in the wild, this isn't the most miraculous act of God, but they were only microscopic nothings when I collected the pond sample a few months ago.

I think these two samples are Pontoporeia, but they could be Hyalella. At least, that is what the Microlife book I am reading tells me. For the record, they are quite safe; I put them back in their home after snapping a few pics of them in a drop of water.