Abelson invites Cougs and moms to tour the jungle

From staff reports

April showers bring May flowers, and on Friday students and their mothers are invited to stroll around the Abelson Greenhouse. Open from 2 – 5 p.m., visitors can expect to experience an indoor jungle as they observe tropical, subtropical and aquatic plants.

Charles Cody, a scientific assistant in WSU’s School of Biological Sciences, will be at the event to answer questions and teach visitors about the plants inside the greenhouse.

“There’s a variety of plants from everywhere and Charles is really fun. You can learn a lot from him,” said senior environmental science major Jessica Pestana.

In preparation for Mom’s Weekend, Cody and Pestana have been cleaning, pruning and rearranging, so that students and their mothers will have a beautiful experience.

There are many species growing in the greenhouse that are commonly not seen in the U.S. and many of them are used in WSU classes.

Inside the greenhouse, visitors will be able to see special research rooms that are sheltering particular plants related to school projects.

“We retain plants that are needed for bio classes … there’s lots of odd things for folks to see,” Cody said.

The greenhouse is also open to the public every week Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Whether it rains or shines this weekend, the greenhouse will certainly be warm and exotic.

“I hope people enjoy seeing the plants and walk away with an understanding about the research pursuits and what we’re doing here,” Cody said.

Reporting by Minna Lee