Summer has arrived yet again, and with it comes farmers’ markets and gardens providing fresh fruit and vegetables. And as we all know, with fruit and vegetables come fruit flies. While unwelcome in our kitchens, they make stunning subjects under the microscope, as shown in two of this month’s most popular microscope images. Check out all the favorites below. 

This image captures a star-shaped arrangement of diatoms composed by Klaus Kemp, one of the most influential diatomists and practitioners of this once-forgotten art form. His arrangements, which spanned over 60 years of work until his recent passing, are beloved among microscopists and artists alike. 

Image courtesy of Daniel Han. Captured on an Olympus AX70 microscope using an Olympus X Line™ UPLXAPO20X objective with a 2.5x projection eyepiece.

This image is a crop of a fruit fly, showing an organ similar to the mammalian stomach. The blue is the nucleus stained with DAPI, and the red is the muscle fiber stained with phalloidin. The second image is a GFP-labeled "patch cell."

Image courtesy of Yanyan Shi. Captured on an Olympus FV3000RS upright confocal microscope.

At Evident, we’re committed to inclusivity, compassion, and support for LGBTQ+ communities. During Pride Month, we showcased images highlighting the colors on the rainbow Pride flag. It’s fitting that one of the top images for the month was the representation of blue on the flag, as it symbolizes serenity. Little is more important than being able to feel calm and at peace.

Pictured above is a stunning sample of human hair under the microscope. Imaged using polarized light, Håkan Kvarnström has beautifully transformed the delicacy of a strand of his daughter’s hair to show the strength and serenity found in nature.

Visit our Instagram to see the other colors and learn their meanings. 

Image courtesy of Håkan Kvarnström. Captured using UPLXAPO20X and UPLXAPO50X X Line objectives.

This snail, captured by Minjun Shin, may move slowly, but it quickly became one of your favorite specimens imaged under the microscope.

Minjun explains, “Freshwater gastropods are one of the broad families of freshwater mollusks with cosmopolitan habitats. More than 4,000 different species of freshwater gastropods are identified. The snail in the image was found in a pond water specimen. It has a partially transparent shell through which its organs can be observed.”

Image and caption courtesy of Minjun Shin. Captured on an Olympus CX21 microscope. 

How incredible is this portrait of a Tephritidae fly? Also known as a peacock fly, this fruit fly species is named for its beautifully spotted and intricately patterned bright wings. If you look closely, the front half of their bodies have very noticeable, upright bristles.

While some species of tephritid fruit flies are pests, others are used as biological control agents for destructive weeds.

Image courtesy of Leonardo Capradossi. Captured using an Olympus UPLFLN10X objective with a 0.3 numerical aperture (NA).