Wanted: Mustard algae or suspected mustard algae

[chem geek]

Pollen vs. algae is VERY easy to distinguish under a microscope. This link shows light microscope pictures of a variety of pollens. Notice that they all have a somewhat solid appearance, are usually round (though not always), sometimes have spikes. This site has lots of pictures of algae which you can see usually have oblong (more rectangular) cell shapes, are more translucent, often form clusters or filaments, etc.

Common mustard algae is Pleurochloris pyrenoidosa. Common green algae is Oocystis sp. Common black algae is Phormidium minnesotense. You can also search on the web for more pictures of these particular algae.

Richard