Botanical Mystery Tour

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Episodes

Date Title & Description Contributors
2019-08-27

  Harry Potter and Magical Plants

We all know the Harry Potter series is filled with magic. But did you realize how important magical plants like Devil’s snare and mandrake are to the stories? We explore whether these kinds of plants really exist in the Muggle world. 		  Chicago Botanic Garden author
2019-07-26

  The Silence of the Lambs and Death's-Head Hawkmoths

The poster for the movie The Silence of the Lambs is iconic — a sinister winged insect covers the mouth of a pale-faced woman. That insect is a death’s head hawkmoth, and in some cultures it’s considered a dark omen. Do hawkmoths deserve their creepy r... 		  Chicago Botanic Garden author
2019-04-23

  Shakespeare in the Garden

Botanical references abound in Shakespeare’s works, like in this famous quote from ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ He was a writer who celebrated plants in verse and someone who kept a garden of his own. But his interest in the botanical wasn’t necessarily special... 		  Chicago Botanic Garden author
2018-12-21

  The Star Wars Sarlacc Pit and Carnivorous Plants

Move over Darth Vader and Kylo Ren: Sarlaccs are way more terrifying than your light sabers. The terrifying, plant-like creature that almost eats Lando Calrissian in Return of the Jedi is the stuff of nightmares. What makes this pit of despair a plant?... 		  Chicago Botanic Garden author
2018-12-21

  Alice in Wonderland and the Mysteries of Mushrooms

Mushrooms! Colorful, weird, possibly deadly, and an important part of the classic tale by Lewis Carroll. When consumed, the mushrooms Alice encounters have wacky and strange consequences, but are there real-life equivalents? And where can you go to fin... 		  Chicago Botanic Garden author
2018-11-27

  The Simpsons, Dennis the Menace, and the Corpse Flower

Amorphophallus titanum, better known as the corpse flower, is one of the Garden’s superstar plants. These stinky, rare blooms attract thousands of visitors intrigued by their foul odor and towering height. How has the corpse flower been accurately (and... 		  Chicago Botanic Garden author
2018-11-01

  Black Mirror and the Automated Drone Insects

Black Mirror is a British sci-fi TV series that explores some nightmarish consequences of new technologies. In the season 3 episode “Hated in the Nation,” humans have curbed colony collapse disorder by developing autonomous drone insects. Are we headed... 		  Chicago Botanic Garden author