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00:00Help kids learn and grow with PBS Kids.
00:03Thank you for supporting your PBS station.
00:08That's me, Fred the house cat.
00:10When my family leaves for the day, I don't just sit inside watching the world go by.
00:15I become...
00:19Nature Cat! Backyard Explorer extraordinaire!
00:25Tally ho! Tally ho!
00:28We're climbing up the trees now.
00:30We're swinging through the breeze now.
00:32We're getting muddy knees now.
00:34Nature Cat! Nature Cat! Nature Cat! Nature Cat! Nature Cat! Nature Cat!
00:39So what are we waiting for?
00:41We're so excited to explore
00:43All that nature has in store.
00:45Nature Cat! Go, go! Tally ho!
00:47Go, go, go! Tally ho!
00:49We're your favorite nature guide.
00:52We just can't wait to get outside!
00:54We're swimming through the trees now.
00:55We're jumping in the leaves now.
00:58We're getting muddy knees now.
01:00We're jumping past!
01:01Go, go, go! Tally ho!
01:03Tally ho!
01:04Tally ho!
01:24Tally ho!
01:25Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho!
01:35Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho!
01:41Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho!
01:45Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho!
01:47Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho!
01:52Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! Tally ho! T
01:55Yeah, it's hard to sleep with all the carpets and the trumpets, not to mention all the buzzing.
02:00Buzzing? You heard buzzing, Hal?
02:02Yes, and lots of trumpets.
02:03That means she's here!
02:05I'm sorry, who's here?
02:06The queen!
02:08The queen? Here? In the backyard?
02:10Yes! Each year a new queen arrives in early spring, and this year I'm going to help her.
02:16A queen? Oh, and I'm wearing this? And Hal, you're wearing that?
02:22Here comes the queen!
02:25Ah, this, uh, little bee is, uh, the new queen?
02:32No offense to Her Majesty. Looks like any other bumblebee to me.
02:36Yes. Yes, yes, yes, I am a queen. And I am not just any bee. I am a bumblebee. Regal
02:43pose.
02:44Boo!
02:46We bumblebees are fuzzy and larger than most other bees. Clearly.
02:51Queen bumblebees are the first bumblebees you see in spring!
02:56Uh-oh. Something's happening. Brace yourself.
02:59Well, I'll be...
03:02Me! Meeting a queen! Who'd a thunk it?
03:05Oh dear. If this is what I think it is, this is not good.
03:08Oh, I didn't realize we'd be in the presence of royalty today.
03:14Just smile and nod. Smile and nod. Giggle if you can.
03:17Say, seems like you know a lot about bumblebees.
03:20I do, your majesty. I'm Daisy.
03:23Daisy. One of my favorite flowers. Lots of pollen and a great name for a lover of bumblebees.
03:29And these are my friends! Nature Cat, Squeaks, and Hal!
03:34Nice to meet you, your bumblebee-ness.
03:36I have a question, your highness. Where are your royal bumblebee subjects?
03:41Oh, it's just me. For now. Like Daisy said, bumblebee queens are one of the first pollinators you'll see in
03:47spring.
03:47We're tough.
03:49No other bumblebees? You mean, you're all alone?
03:59Oops, sorry. I didn't realize that was going off.
04:02Yes, I'm alone. But I won't be alone for long. Very soon I'll make a nest and lay eggs to
04:08start my own colony of bumblebees.
04:10Yeah, she's got a big important job ahead of her.
04:15Oh, pardon me. This isn't very queenly, but it's been a long winter hibernating and I am famished.
04:22Yeah, I've been hibernating too since breakfast. It's horrible.
04:27Once she's eaten enough, she finds a place to make her nest to lay her eggs.
04:31Oh, that's very good, Daisy. By the summer, this backyard will be full of busy, buzzing bumblebees.
04:38Bumblebees that will pollinate the flowers in my garden.
04:41In that case, I guess I better get to work.
04:44By yourself? All alone?
04:47Well, that's just how it is for a bumblebee queen this time of year.
04:50Now, if you'll excuse me.
04:52Wait! We can help. You don't have to be alone this year.
04:56Help me? No, I couldn't.
04:59Oh, I'd be delighted.
05:02These puns are unbee-lievable. Sorry. Sorry.
05:06Come on! We can be worker bees!
05:09A worker bee? Well, I've always wanted to be a worker bee.
05:12But one question about those worker bees that I've always wanted to be.
05:15What's a worker bee?
05:16Worker bees are the bees in the colony that help the queen by finding food and bringing it back to
05:22the nest.
05:22And now, we're worker bees!
05:27By the pollen on me, by decree of the bee, I declare thee bumblebees of the backyard.
05:34I feel bee-utiful.
05:37No, you guys, are we really doing this?
05:40I am bee-yond-honored.
05:44Yeah, we're doing it.
05:45Well, if you can't bee-t'em, join em.
05:49Bee puns, they're all the buzz.
05:52Well, what are we waiting for, bumblebees?
05:54Let's help the queen find a place for her nest!
05:57Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.
06:02You can use my doghouse, your majesty.
06:06One castle fit for a queen coming up, your majesty.
06:08Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!
06:11I don't need your homes or something built for me.
06:18You don't?
06:19Nope.
06:20We can find a place for my nest right here, from something that already exists and isn't
06:25being used.
06:26Like an abandoned rodent hole or a rock pile?
06:28Or a fallen log?
06:30Exactly!
06:31It's not like I need a throne or anything.
06:33What's most important is that my nest is cozy, warm, and safe.
06:38Let's go find a nesting place, bumblebees!
06:41Bumblebee, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.
06:43Oops!
06:45We claim this log for the bumblebee queen!
06:50Oops!
06:51Someone's already home.
06:52Sorry, man.
06:56We claim this rock pile for the bumblebee queen!
07:00Oops!
07:02That's occupied.
07:03Sorry!
07:07We claim this hole for the bumblebee queen, I hope.
07:14It's empty!
07:15The previous tenants even left behind some of their fur that will keep my bees cozy and
07:20warm.
07:21Oh, and I can't wait for you to see what I do with the place.
07:24It'll be very bee-y.
07:26I just hope there will be enough flowers around now and for the rest of the season for me and
07:31my bumblebees.
07:32We can help!
07:33Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.
07:35Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.
07:40Oh, dear me.
07:41We are going to need a lot more flowers when my bumblebees are born.
07:45More flowers?
07:46There are plenty of flowers in Daisy's garden.
07:49Well, actually, my garden will have lots of flowers in a couple of months, but right now
07:55they're just still seedlings.
07:57A couple of months?
07:58But that's like months from now.
08:01Chin up, chin up, chins up, and listen to Queenie.
08:05Daisy, the trumpet.
08:08We need food for the hive throughout the whole season, but don't fret just yet.
08:13We have some time.
08:14My first worker bees won't be out foraging for another month, and in the meantime I'll
08:19need to eat and feed the young bees until they are ready to leave the nest.
08:24Yes, Daisy?
08:25We can help.
08:26We can add flowers that will bloom very soon and flowers that will bloom in the fall.
08:30And in the fall, we'll plant more flowers that will bloom this time of year.
08:34That way there will always be flowers blooming, and you'll have food all season long.
08:40Get out there and start planting while I start laying eggs.
08:44Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.
08:46Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.
09:11Very good.
09:12Oh, well, that looks lovely.
09:13That's just, oh, very good.
09:15Oh, no, why did you stop?
09:18Stop?
09:19Sure, one backyard full of flowers is great,
09:22but an entire neighborhood is better.
09:24Why don't I explain?
09:27Bumblebee habitats, the flowers and our nesting places,
09:31are disappearing,
09:33which means fewer and fewer bumblebees.
09:39The backyard and the world needs us.
09:42We can pollinate in the hot or in the cold.
09:46We aren't picky about the flowers we like
09:48and are really good at getting pollen out of them.
09:50We are super pollinators!
09:53And that's why I wanted to help you.
09:55I love bumblebees and know how important they are to nature and my garden.
10:00And if we don't help, then you could disappear forever.
10:04And then we'd be all alone.
10:09Sorry, me again.
10:10It's new. I don't know how to work it.
10:14Daisy's right.
10:15We need to do more and help all the bumblebees in our community.
10:19We'll need help.
10:20Let's ask our friends to be bumblebee workers, too.
10:23You know, this would be a lot faster with a good old-fashioned montage.
10:27I'm the queen of puns.
10:31PUNS, PUNS, PUNS, PUNS!
10:55You don't know what you're doing.
10:56Theflixian, I'm the queen.
10:56Whoa, boy.
11:00The queen ofине the hungry girl,
11:02It's over and there's a lot.
11:02Wow.
11:02Oh-oh.
11:05Oh, thank you all for your help, my worker bees, especially you, Daisy.
11:11Thank you, Queen.
11:12Just one more task for you.
11:14My reign is coming to an end.
11:17All of us bumblebees will die, except for the next generation of queens.
11:24I mean it this time.
11:26Oh, no, please, don't be sad.
11:28I've loved your help, but now we must make it safe for the future bumblebee queens.
11:33What can we do?
11:35Well, queens hibernate all winter in small holes underground underneath leaves.
11:40You mean like those?
11:42Why, yes.
11:44So you need us to do what exactly?
11:47Nothing.
11:48Nothing?
11:51Leave the leaves.
11:52If you really love bees, you'll keep that stuff around your yard all year long.
11:57Yes, your majesty.
12:06See you in the spring, future queen.
12:09Sweet dreams.
12:12Tree love.
12:18Nature adventure time!
12:21I give you the mighty oak tree.
12:25Breathtaking.
12:26What a marvel.
12:28Oh.
12:28It's so beautiful.
12:30Say tree.
12:32Tree.
12:34Oh, look at the trunk.
12:36It's so barky and huggable-y and all at the same time-y.
12:39And look how tall the tree is.
12:42And check out this amazing canopy of leaves.
12:45It protects us from the hot summer sun.
12:48What do you love about the tree, Squeaks?
12:52Oh.
12:53Breathe.
12:54Let the thoughts come and go.
12:57Don't attach...
12:59To any thoughts.
13:01Where did this tree come from anyway?
13:04Good question.
13:05In fact, that's on my curiosity list.
13:08What did this oak tree look like back when it was born?
13:12Yeah, like how did you get here, Tree?
13:14And how did you grow so big, Tree?
13:16And how long did it take, Tree?
13:18Oh, so many questions.
13:19Uh, I don't know anything about it.
13:22Well, if you don't know anything, maybe this little acorn knows.
13:26That's it, Hal.
13:27You're a genius.
13:28Huh?
13:29Okay, one part question.
13:31Number one.
13:31How do you know that that's it, Hal?
13:33You're a genius, line.
13:35If we've never met, have you seen the show before?
13:37I know a lot of things, Sonny.
13:39I'm over a hundred years old.
13:41Or as I prefer to say, over a hundred years young.
13:45I say what?
13:47I'm sorry.
13:48I don't believe I got your name, Mr. Tortoise.
13:50The name's Shell Brooks.
13:52I live at the botanical gardens nearby.
13:54And I take my walk here every day.
13:57So, uh, what does this itty-bitty acorn have to do with this tremendously towering tree?
14:04Well, you see, this tree started out as an acorn, just like this one.
14:09An acorn turned into a tree.
14:12Chirade.
14:13And how, pray tell, would you know that, Shell Brooks?
14:17Because I was here when it was planted.
14:19In fact, I knew the four friends who planted it.
14:22Yep, I can tell you anything you want to know about this here tree.
14:26Go on, try me.
14:27Okay, what kind of tree is it?
14:29It's a white oak.
14:31Yep, white oaks are the official state trees of Illinois.
14:35Hmm, not bad.
14:37Uh, interesting.
14:38And how tall is the tree?
14:40Got him.
14:41This here tree is 88 feet, four and three-quarter inches tall.
14:47I'm the nosy.
14:49Whoa, this guy's too legit to quit.
14:51Yep, this tree means so much to me.
14:54Gather round, and I'll tell you its story from the very beginning.
15:00One hundred years ago, in this very spot, four nature-loving animals arrived jaunty jolly into the park.
15:09Their names were Lily.
15:11Man, oh man, this place sure is swell.
15:14Say cheese, everyone.
15:15Cheese.
15:17There was Pip.
15:20There was Cal.
15:21Hi, Cheese.
15:22It's me, Cal.
15:24Bye, Cheese.
15:25Nice knowing you.
15:2623 Skidoo.
15:27And last but not least, there was Ned, also known as Adventure Cat.
15:33Huh, you know it'd be the cat's meow.
15:35So amazingly amazing.
15:38A big, beautiful oak tree right here.
15:44Yeah.
15:46Water.
15:46Why'd it have to be water, see?
15:50Adventure Cat loved the outdoors, but water, not so much.
15:54And then, there's me, Shelton James Brooks.
15:58Cute fella, if I say so myself.
16:00I had just arrived at the botanical gardens from the Arizona desert.
16:05I was lonely and looking for friends.
16:08And friends I found.
16:11That neighborhood crew welcomed me with open arms and open hearts.
16:17Oh, that's so heartwarming.
16:20Which is why my heart feels so warm.
16:22But back to the story of the tree.
16:25We must plant this tree.
16:27But how?
16:28Why, my grandma, Bubby Bunny, told me that if you collect acorns when they fall, you can plant them.
16:34And chances are good that at least one of them will turn into an oak tree.
16:37An acorn today, an oak tree tomorrow, is what Bunny Bubby used to say.
16:43Well, she must mean that tomorrow a ginormous oak tree will grow right here.
16:47Choo-choo peachy.
16:49Yes, yes.
16:50I, Adventure Cat, shall collect acorns, put them in the ground,
16:54And tomorrow, one shall surely sprout into a giant and glorious oak tree.
17:00Tally Oak.
17:04The four nature lovers, with help from yours truly, collected acorns and put them in the ground.
17:13But planting an oak tree was harder than they thought.
17:18They waited and waited and waited for an acorn to grow.
17:23But nothing happened.
17:25Hey, you know what's really knocking my noodle?
17:27Why's there nothing growing?
17:29We've been waiting all day.
17:30Gee willikers, what gives?
17:32So they all went home to try and think of other ideas to get the acorns to grow.
17:37They came back the next day.
17:39But still, Bupkus.
17:41No luck.
17:43They tried everything they could think of to get the acorns to turn into trees.
17:48Bupkus.
17:49Bupkus.
17:52Why, not even the great Caldini can make this tree go.
17:55It's a scam, I tell you.
17:57They tried dancing.
17:59I call this number the Oak Tree Trot.
18:01After we dance around the acorn, it'll grow in a jiffy.
18:09But nothing worked.
18:11Until one day, they made a big discovery.
18:15Well, ain't this the bee's knees?
18:17Check it out.
18:18This book tells us how to plant a white oak tree.
18:20It says to only use acorns that sink in water.
18:23And to plant them in the ground an inch deep on their sides.
18:27And six inches apart.
18:28It also says to protect the area with chicken wire to keep out hungry animals who want to eat the
18:33acorns.
18:34What do you say, pals?
18:35Let's do this.
18:42Let's just delete them.
18:42All right.
18:46Boom.
19:10Today, we did it.
19:12Well, we didn't do it.
19:14The acorns still aren't growing.
19:15Ah, shucks.
19:17Why is nothing growing?
19:19These acorns here are making me steamed.
19:26Stop the presses.
19:28According to this, it takes a little bit of time for the acorn to sprout,
19:31and then it will only grow a foot or two every year.
19:35So that means, if my math is right, that the tree could have 100 feet,
19:41which is like 1,000 toesies.
19:43That's one funny-looking tree.
19:45Well, baked beans, that's not what it means.
19:48It means it's going to take many, many years for the tree to reach full size.
19:52Maybe when Bubby Bunny used to say, an acorn today, an oak tree tomorrow,
19:56she didn't actually mean tomorrow, tomorrow, but tomorrow is in the future.
20:01Why, I guess we'll just have to wait.
20:05So wait, they did.
20:07They came back every now and then to check on the tree.
20:10They were patient.
20:12Oh, boy.
20:13It's growing.
20:14Well, that's swell.
20:20Within five years, it was just tall enough for some birds and animals to use it for shelter,
20:27nesting,
20:28and resting.
20:30Through photosynthesis, the tree helped clean the air
20:34and produce oxygen for animals to breathe.
20:37All the while, Adventure Cat and his friends created many memories there.
20:47Phew!
20:48Water!
20:49It doesn't have to be water!
20:52Pulled the old switcheroo on you there.
20:55Playing in the shade in the summer.
20:57Yay!
20:59Playing in its leaves in the fall.
21:01Woo-hoo!
21:06Making snowmen under the trees in the winter.
21:13When the oak tree turned 25 years old, it began making acorns of its own.
21:19In the fall, those acorns dropped to the ground and animals showed up to eat them.
21:24The food helped the animals survive when there wasn't much else to eat.
21:28And the other animals got energy from the acorns, too.
21:31In spring, birds nested in its branches, and the pals would picnic underneath.
21:38It was a happy, thriving place.
21:42And now, all these years later, you four come along and made this into your own special place.
21:49That was an amazing story, Shellbrooks.
21:52Amazing, because it's true.
21:54But how does this story end?
21:57I think I have an idea how this story ends.
22:00With a new beginning!
22:02Da-da-da-da!
22:03And a special way to honor nature for a long, long time.
22:07Let's plant our very own oak tree!
22:12We can do it in my yard!
22:15Sweet!
22:16And even though we may no longer live there to enjoy the tree when it becomes big and tall, others
22:22will!
22:22So we will plant the tree for them!
22:26Oh, yeah!
22:27Oh, yeah!
22:29Hey, uh, Shellbrooks?
22:31We were wondering, would you plant the tree with us?
22:35I was hoping you'd ask.
22:37It would be such an honor.
22:39Yeah!
22:41Oh, yeah!
22:42Oh, yeah!
22:43All right, it's tree time!
22:45Let's collect those acorns!
22:47What he said!
22:49Onward and oakward!
22:51They planted their very own oak tree that very day.
22:55Found a nice spot, too.
22:57Years later, decades even, kids would sit under the tree, licking ice pops, cooling off in the shade.
23:04And they'd say to themselves, I wonder who planted this oak tree.
23:08It was a bunch of little animals that lived in a yard and a tortoise.
23:12Just making a TV show about nature.
23:47And we'll be right back.
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