Proffessor Plankton

A very sociable morning catching up with two people we haven't seen for ages.  Afterwards I headed down to see Proffessor Plankton who has a small area at the back of Seafare in the Harbour Association building.  Andy is his real name but uses the blip title as his facebook name.  Between April and October he collects a daily sample from Tobermory bay and records what he finds and puts it on his fb page.  He projects the contents of petri dish from his microscope onto a screen (explains the moire in the blip photo) so that visitors can see this beautiful and intriguing world.  

I'd gone to talk with him to try and get to the bottom of a very itchy rash that I realised (eventually) had erupted twice after swims in the bay.  I think it may be caused by stings from jellyfish larvae that release their poison when pressed again skin by a swimming costume (they get inside) or from leaning on a float - based on the pattern of the rash.  He wasn't so sure, thought maybe or maybe something called Siphonophore (apparently there has been an explosion of these in the bay this year).  One longish chain of these made up of lots of individual ones would be visible to the naked eye but less easily spotted if the chain gets broken up.  They are related to Portuguese Men of War jellyfish, if I remember what he was saying correctly. 

All very interesting stuff, I may have to resort to wearing a rash vest until whatever it is disappears for the year.  Have included an extra of the identification board - won't be taking up the suggestion to dress up like plankton but hope that some of children who visit do.