(MUSIC)

JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST: HI I'M

JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN AND WELCOME

TO SCIENCE TREK AND WELCOME TO

THE IDAHO BOTANICAL GARDEN.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BOTANY

THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN

ABOUT PLANTS.

SO JOINING ME ON TODAY'S TOUR IS

HANNA AND CALEB.

I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS COMING!

AND ELIZABETH DICKEY WHO IS THE

EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR HERE AT THE

IDAHO BOTANICAL GARDENS.

SO LET'S GO TAKE A TOUR!

THE IDAHO BOTANICAL GARDEN IS

ONE OF THE OLDEST BOTANICAL

GARDENS IN THE STATE.

IT COVERS 15 ACRES AND HAS 14

DIFFERENT GARDEN TYPES.

WE PICKED OUT THREE TO EXPLORE.

ELIZABETH DICKEY: WE ARE COMING

UP INTO OUR CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH

GARDEN.

AND THIS IS A EUROPEAN HAZELNUT

TREE.

IF YOU'VE EVER WONDERED HOW

HAZELNUTS GROW YOU CAN SEE RIGHT

HERE THAT THEY HAVE THEIR LITTLE

FRUITS WITH THE HAZELNUTS ON THE

INSIDE.

(MUSIC)

DICKEY: SO NOW WE ARE COMING

INTO THE HERB GARDEN.

AND HERBS ARE USEFUL PLANTS.

THEY ARE USED FOR FOOD, FOR

MEDICINES, TO MAKE DYES.

AND THEY ARE VERY USEFUL PLANTS.

ABOUT HALF OUR WORLD'S MEDICINES

COME FROM DIFFERENT TYPES OF

PLANTS.

HANNA: SO WHAT DO YOU NEED TO

GROW THE HERBS AROUND HERE.

DICKEY: YOU'RE LUCKY THAT HERBS

ARE EXCEEDINGLY EASY TO GROW.

THEY LIKE TO HAVE A FULL DAY OF

SUN.

SO IF YOU HAVE A SPOT THAT HAS

SIX HOURS OR MORE OF SUNLIGHT

THEY DO REALLY WELL.

SO THEY LIKE OUR HOT SUNNY

SUMMERS.

AND THEN ALSO THEY HAVE TO HAVE

A SOIL THAT DRAINS PRETTY WELL,

IF YOU GET TOO MUCH WATER AROUND

THE ROOTS THEN THEY ARE GOING TO

ROT.

SO WHAT YOU DO IS YOU TEST YOUR

SOIL YOU DIG A HOLE, ADD SOME

WATER, AND IF WITHIN AN HOUR THE

WATER DISAPPEARS YOU KNOW YOU

HAVE THE PERFECT SPOT.

WE HAVE LEMON BALM, LEMON BALM

HAS BEEN USED, IT HAS A

WONDERFUL SCENT YOU CAN PUT IT

INTO LEMONADE, AND FOR POUND

CAKE.

BUT IT ALSO HAS CALMING

PROPERTIES, SO PEOPLE WOULD MAKE

TEA OUT OF IT, TO HELP THEM

RELAX PERHAPS ON A HOT SUMMER'S

DAY.

WE HAVE SALAD BURNET, IN THE OLD

DAYS PEOPLE USED TO GATHER THE

LEAVES AND DRY THEM AND THEN

GROUND THEM UP INTO A POWDER AND

IF YOU HAD A CUT, YOU WERE

BLEEDING, YOU COULD PACK IT IN

THERE AND IT WOULD STOP THE

BLEEDING, SO IT'S A PLANT YOU

COULD USE FOR FOOD AS WELL FOR

MEDICINE.

AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF

LAVENDER.

YOU'VE PROBABLY HAD LAVENDER

PERFUME OR LOTIONS, BUT ALSO IN

THE OLD DAYS THEY FOUND OUT THAT

MOSQUITOS HATE THE SMELL OF

LAVENDER.

SO A LOT OF PEOPLE LOVE IT,

MOSQUITOS THINK IT SMELLS REALLY

BAD.

SO PEOPLE USED TO RUB LAVENDER

OIL ON THEIR SKIN TO KEEP THE

MOSQUITOS STAY AWAY.

CALEB: DO YOU STILL USE LAVENDER

IN BUG SPRAYS?

DICKEY: NOW I'M SURE THERE ARE

BUG SPRAYS THAT HAS A LAVENDER

SCENT TO THEM.

I THINK THAT WE HAVE INVENTED

MORE CHEMICALS THAT DO A BETTER

JOB IN KEEPING THE INSECTS AWAY

SO IT MIGHT BE JUST ADD A NICE

FRAGRANCE FOR THE PEOPLE BUT WE

DON'T USE IT SO MUCH AS

SOMETHING TO MAKE THE MOSQUITOS

STAY AWAY.

(MUSIC)

DICKEY: SO HERE WE ARE

AT SOME OF MY ALL-TIME MOST

FAVORITE PLANTS, THESE ARE THE

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS.

WHAT THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON IS

THAT THEY LIVE IN VERY BOGGY,

WET GROUND.

BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET WHAT THEY

NEED WITH THE ROOTS OUT OF THE

SOIL THEY HAVE TO EAT INSECTS IN

ORDER TO GET THE PROTEINS AND

SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT

THEY NEED TO SURVIVE.

SO HERE WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT

TYPES OF PLANTS.

ON THAT FAR END WE HAVE THE

VENUS FLY TRAPS.

THEY HAVE THREE LITTLE HAIRS AND

IF A FLY TOUCHES ONE OF THOSE

HAIRS NOTHING HAPPENS BUT IF

THEY TOUCH TWO OR THREE THAT

TELLS THE PLANT THERE REALLY IS

AN INSECT THERE.

AND THEN THESE TALLER ONES ARE

CALLED PITCHER PLANTS.

AND THEY HAVE SORT OF A NECTAR

IN THERE THAT SMELLS GOOD AND

SOME COLORS THAT CALL IN THE

INSECTS AND THEY GO DOWN THE

TUBE AND THE TUBES ARE EITHER

SLIPPERY OR THEY HAVE LITTLE

HAIRS POKING DOWN SO IF A BUG

FALLS IN THEY CAN'T GET BACK UP.

AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE SUN

DEWS.

AND THEY ARE CALLED SUN DEWS

BECAUSE THEY HAVE LITTLE

DROPLETS OF LIQUID THAT SHINE IN

THE SUN AND THEY CATCH ITTY

BITTY TINY LITTLE BUGS LIKE

MOSQUITOS AND GNATS.

CARTAN-HANSEN: THE OVERALL

GARDEN INCLUDES WITHIN IT A

MEDITATION GARDEN, A ROSE GARDEN

AND A VEGETABLE GARDEN.

DICKEY: AND THE PURPOSE OF OUR

GARDEN IS TO SHOW PEOPLE

DIFFERENT WAYS OF GROWING

VEGETABLES AND THEN ALSO TO HELP

PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THEIR FOOD

COMES FROM.

BECAUSE YOU KNOW LIKE IDAHO'S

STATE VEGETABLE IS A POTATO BUT

A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA

WHAT A POTATO LOOKS LIKE WHILE

IT'S GROWING.

SO LET'S GO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.

SO THIS IS OUR POTATO PLANT.

AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WHEN THEY

THINK ABOUT POTATOES THEY CALL

THEM A ROOT VEGETABLE BUT IT

TURNS OUT THE POTATO IS NOT A

ROOT AT ALL.

IT'S REALLY AN UNDERGROUND STEM.

SO THE LEAVES AND THE ROOTS COME

OUT OF THE POTATO.

SO IT'S A SPECIAL STORAGE DEVICE

FOR THE POTATO.

SO IF YOU HAVE AN UNDERGROUND

STEM THAT HOLDS FOOD FOR THE

PLANT IT'S A TUBER.

SO IF YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE

MASHED POTATOES FOR DINNER

YOU'RE HAVING MASHED TUBERS.

SO HERE WE HAVE CABBAGE.

YOU CAN SEE HOW IT GROWS BEFORE

IT GETS INTO THE SUPERMARKET,

THEY TAKE ALL THE EXTRA LEAVES

OUT AND YOU'RE JUST LEFT WITH

THE HEAD.

THE CABBAGE FAMILY IS KIND OF

COOL.

BECAUSE WHAT FARMERS HAVE DONE

IS TAKE ONE SPECIES OF PLANT AND

MADE IT INTO MANY DIFFERENT

TYPES, SORT OF LIKE HOW DOGS

HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED INTO THESE

DIFFERENT TYPES OF BREEDS THAT

LOOK VERY DIFFERENT, CABBAGES

HAVE BEEN BREED INTO ALL THESE

DIFFERENT PLANTS THAT DON'T LOOK

SIMILAR AT ALL BUT THEY'RE

ACTUALLY THE EXACT SAME THING.

CARTAN-HANSEN: YOU KNOW I'M

SORRY WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TIME

AND WE'VE BARELY SEEN EVERYTHING

THERE IS TO SEE HERE AT THE

IDAHO BOTANICAL GARDEN SO WE

REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME AND

VISIT FOR YOURSELF.

AND BE SURE TO CHECK THE SCIENCE

TREK WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT

BOTANY AND ALL THE OTHER

SCIENTIFIC TOPICS WE HAVE THERE.

YOU'LL FIND IT AT

IDAHOPTV.ORG/SCIENCETREK.

MY THANKS TO HANNAH AND CALEB

FOR JOINING US ON THE TOUR AND

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON

SCIENCE TREK.

(MUSIC)

NARRATOR: PRESENTATION OF

SCIENCE TREK ON IDAHO PUBLIC

TELEVISION IS MADE POSSIBLE

THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF

THE LAURA MOORE CUNNINGHAM

FOUNDATION, COMMITTED TO

FULFILLING THE MOORE AND BETTIS

FAMILY LEGACY OF BUILDING THE

GREAT STATE OF IDAHO; BY THE

IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY,

MENTORING TALENT AND FINDING

SOLUTIONS FOR ENERGY AND

SECURITY CHALLENGES; BY THE

FRIENDS OF IDAHO PUBLIC

TELEVISION; AND BY THE

CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC

BROADCASTING.