8 It’s Always Summer in the Biology Greenhouse
Walking into the biology greenhouse, especially on a cold day, is like entering a different world. According to the greenhouse website, “[n]early 800 species of plants can be seen in the greenhouse”.1 These plants grow in many different micro-climates; greenhouse visitors can walk from an arid desert to a tropical rain forest in just a few steps!
Discovering worlds of flora in the greenhouse
From the outside, the greenhouse seems impossibly stuffed with plants. In this case, outward appearances are not deceiving. From pineapples and papaya…
…to more trees growing indoors than one might think possible, the sheer variety and number of plants one can encounter in the greenhouse is truly mind-boggling.
What’s that smell?
One of the most popular attractions in the greenhouse is the corpse plant, “Wally”. Wally’s first bloom in 2016 drew thousands of visitors, who waited in line for hours to see (and smell) this unique and impressive sight. If you’re interested in learning more about Wally, check out this website devoted entirely to IU Bloomington’s stinkiest herbaceous denizen. (For details on all the stinky plants in the greenhouse, click here.)
Visiting the greenhouse
The biology greenhouse is open to the public on weekdays, but is closed on weekends, holidays, and university breaks. Open hours can be found on the greenhouse’s website or Facebook page. Please keep in mind that though walking through the greenhouse may seem like being outdoors, you are still inside and must adhere to university policy on the wearing of masks indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
