Name: Heather Angel
Picture title: Green Hydra Multi Exposure
Category: Micro
Nationality: British
Occupation: Photographer / Author

Heather says:
‘This time lapse shows how green hydras (Hydra viridissima), although sessile (fixed in one place), can move around. A hydra moves by looping over and over, attaching the tentacles, then detaching the disc before reattaching it. They can also move by floating upside down.

This particular hydra was attached to a petri dish raised up from a black background so it could be lit from below using dark field illumination (DFI) and a microscope. The paler margins of the hydra’s body are a result of DFI. The green colour is caused by symbiotic algae that live inside the hydra. In return, the algae provide nutrients to the hydra via photosynthesis. Hydras feed on small crustaceans, including water fleas.’

Technical information:
Microscope: Wild Heerbnegg M20
Technique: Darkfield illumination

Website: heatherangelphotography.co.uk
Instagram: heatherangelphotography
Twitter: angelantics