All language subtitles for Weird.But.True.S02E05_English

CHARLIE: Hey, guys!
Charlie here, you
know my sister, Kirby.

KIRBY: Hey guys!

CHARLIE: Today, we're hanging
out 250 feet up in the air at
the top of a giant sequoia.

KIRBY: Did you know
some of these trees are
over 2,000 years old?

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Which means this one might
have started growing when

Cleopatra was ruling Egypt!

CHARLIE: It's time
for Weird But True!

(theme music plays)

MAN (over tv): The
African viper cautiously
approaches his next meal.

CHARLIE: Hey Kirb,
when's your show over?

KIRBY: Sh!

MAN (over tv): He strikes!
His toxic venom,
seeping into the prey.

CHARLIE: Kirb!
KIRBY: Charles! Shh!

MAN (over tv): And so ends the
journey of the Gaboon viper.

Found slithering through the
rainforests of West Africa.

KIRBY: This show is amazing!

CHARLIE: Ugh!
Guys, we got a big problem.

Kirby's super obsessed
with this big budget
nature documentary

called "Planet World."

MAN (over tv): Jungles. Lions.

Africa.
Slow-motion.

Planet World.

CHARLIE: It's cool
but a little too cool.

Watch this.

CHARLIE: Kirb!
Can you please come outside?

KIRBY: Charles, why would
I want to go in a boring
backyard when I can watch

a jaguar take out a
crocodile in the Amazon?

CHARLIE: This has
been my entire week.

So I've concocted a
plan to show Kirby that
there's nothing ordinary

about our backyard.

Even the simplest things
can be fascinating if you
take the time to look.

CHARLIE (off-screen): She
needs to meet the superheroes
living right on top of us!

CHARLIE: So, today, we're
unravelling the world of.

BOTH: Trees!

MAN (over tv): Tune
in tomorrow for all new
episodes of "Planet World."

CHARLIE: Kirb!
KIRBY: Charles?
CHARLIE: Enough!

KIRBY: What?
CHARLIE: You have to
go outside eventually.

KIRBY: If I go outside
will you let me watch
my show in peace?

CHARLIE: Yes.

KIRBY: You have, like,
literally 5 minutes of my time.

CHARLIE: Ah,
here we are, Kirb.

Alright so, you've
watched countless hours
of nature documentaries,

see what you got.

What do you see?

KIRBY: Tiny little tree.

That tree's kind
of like medium.

And this one's
kind of huge, so.

CHARLIE: This is
gonna take a lot of work.

CHARLIE: Okay, Kirb, so
not all trees are the same.

KIRBY: What's the big deal?

You've got a trunk covered
in bark with some leaves.

CHARLIE: So remember
when we researched dogs?

And we discovered that there
are a bunch of different kinds
of dog breeds.

KIRBY: There are
over 300 breeds of dog.

Baguette?

CHARLIE: Trees
are the same way.

KIRBY: Bonjour.
CHARLIE: Bonjour.

There are over
60,000 species of tree.

Croissant?

CHARLIE: 60,000 trees,
all with different
kinds of leaves.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Leaves from the sweet gum
tree look like stars.

Redbud leaves
look like hearts.

And leaves from the silver
leaved poplar trees are
multicolored and have special

flat stems that catch the wind
so the leaf dances in the air
making the tree sparkle and

shimmer in this glistening
spectacle of natural wonder!

KIRBY: You really like trees.

CHARLIE: Yeah.

KIRBY: Well then what
kind of leaf is this?

CHARLIE: Well,
there are certain
books that can tell us.

They're called "Tree Keys."

CHARLIE (off-screen):
This is a special one.

Written like a
choose-your-own adventure
book where you decide which

way your character goes.

CHARLIE: Let's check it out.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
You're traveling through
a mythical land,

with streams, and castles, and
all that good stuff, as you
explore the forest for

answers, you come to a fork
in the road guarded by a
majestic wood nymph.

CHARLIE: Halt!
Passenger!

Two paths I see.

Two roads for thee.

One question I seek.

To walk past me.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
The wood nymph asks.

CHARLIE: Is your leaf
simple or compound?

A simple leaf is made
up of just one leaflet.

The compound leaf is
made up of a bunch of
different leaflets.

KIRBY: Simple.

CHARLIE: The
simple path's for thee.

CHARLIE (off-screen): As you
continue your search, you come
to another fork in the road.

CHARLIE: Halt!

Two paths I see.

KIRBY: Sh!
I get it.

What do you want?

CHARLIE: Is your leaf
pinnate or palmate?

That depends on where
the veins come from.

If they come from
one main point, that's
palmate or a bunch of

different points,
that's pinnate.

KIRBY: Pinnate.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Your quest continues!

KIRBY: Question me, nymph.

CHARLIE: Is your
leaf lobed or un-lobed?

CHARLIE: That has to do
with the outline of the leaf.

See this?
This is a lobed
leaf, these are lobes.

But this
leaf is un-lobed.
It's one simple shape.

KIRBY: Lobed.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Your bravery and patience
will now be rewarded

by the graceful nymph!

CHARLIE: Wanderer,
you have traveled far.

You have
answered my questions.

And now I can
identify your leaf.

You have an oak leaf.

KIRBY: Cool. An oak leaf.
What was all this for?

Couldn't you have
just told me that?

KIRBY: Okay, fine.

So all trees aren't the same.

They've got
different leaves on a trunk.

Super cool.

CHARLIE: The closer you look,
the more you realize that
one tree is radically

different from another tree.

What if I told you, that I
could identify a tree just
based off a twig?

KIRBY: No way.
CHARLIE: I can.
KIRBY: Prove it.

CHARLIE: Get two twigs.
KIRBY: Fine.

KIRBY: Here you go.
Whoa. Nice outfit.

CHARLIE: Wonderful.

We have two twigs
in front of us.

Brown, brittle, twiggy.

The answers to their
origins lie directly
in front of our eyes.

CHARLIE: The first clue?
The leaf scar.

CHARLIE (off-screen): When
leaves fall off a twig they
leave a clue behind.

Like a footprint in the mud.

CHARLIE: Leaves of a certain
species of tree are always
attached in one of two

different ways: either
they're opposite, directly
across from each other.

Or alternate, where
they're switching off.

CHARLIE: Kirb?

KIRBY: This one has opposite
and this one has alternate.

CHARLIE: Of course,
opposite and alternate.

We have our footprint, now
we need, our fingerprint.

For that, we examine the bud.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Apical buds mark the end
of a twig, they show where

the twig is growing from.

And every tree has
a unique bud shape.

KIRBY: So this one has buds
that are pointy and this one
has buds that are round.

So what's this?

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Alternate leaves with short
round buds in our yard comes

from, the white oak by
the creek in the backyard!

KIRBY: And this one?

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Opposite leaves and
pointy buds come from.

The sugar maple with the
tree house in the front yard!

KIRBY: Nice, Charles.
You got 'em.

CHARLIE: There you go.
Case cracked.

KIRBY: So, when'd you become
such an expert on trees?

CHARLIE: I've always been
pretty interested in trees,
you know,

ever since I was little
and from the first time.

KIRBY: Oooh!
"Planet World" came out
with a new episode on trees.

So thanks, but I'm good.

CHARLIE: Alright, guys,
if I wanna get Kirby
outside, I gotta come

up with a really intense
tree adventure.

Like huge.
The biggest.

Adventure. Ever.

Giant sequoias in California.

They're the biggest
trees in the entire world.

You can't get more
extreme than that.

CHARLIE (off-screen): It's
more than 2,000 miles from
Chicago to Sequoia National

Park in California.

But it's my best shot to get
Kirby off the couch and out
into the real world.

KIRBY (off-screen): Weird but
true, there's a tree in Panama
that has a square trunk.

CHARLIE: Hey, guys.
We made it!

I dragged Kirby here to the
Whitaker Forest in California.

KIRBY: So we can climb some
of the most massive trees
in the whole world.

CHARLIE: Giant sequoias.

And this is the guy
who's gonna help us out.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Dave Katz has made a name
for himself as the guru in

giant sequoia climbing.

While he's setting up the
safety ropes, I'm going to
prove to Kirby that just

watching some TV documentary
about trees doesn't make her
an expert.

KIRBY (off-screen):
Sounds like a challenge,
and I accept.

Let's see who knows
the most about sequoias!

CHARLIE: Alright, set
the scene here, Kirb,
what are we looking at?

KIRBY (off-screen): First,
giant sequoias don't naturally
grow all over the place.

They're mostly here,
in California on the
western slope of the

Sierra Nevada Mountains.

KIRBY: Giant sequoias
are so cool because
they're absolutely huge.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
No kidding.

They're the largest trees in
the world measured by volume.

CHARLIE (off-screen): Take
General Sherman, a giant
sequoia that grows not far

from here, it's officially
the largest tree in the world.

CHARLIE: So let's try
to wrap our heads around
how big the General is.

For comparison, we're gonna be
using our own Weird But True
unit of measurement.

1 standard Kirby.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
General Sherman is as
tall as 52 Kirbys standing

on top of each other.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
19 Kirbys can wrap
around its trunk.

But its volume is
what's really impressive.

Inside General Sherman,
you could fit around
75 million marshmallows.

Or 7 million baseballs.

Or 200,000 basketballs.

Or the volume of 9500
average-sized bathtubs.

Or 150 concrete mixer trucks.

Or, based on our
Weird But True standard
of unit measurement,

30,000 Kirbys.

KIRBY (off-screen):
Whoa, super impressive,
but check this out:

Did you know these
huge sequoia trees
have shallow roots?

They can survive
in 3 feet of soil.

Only 3 feet!

The secret is that their
roots spread out and
intertwine with each other.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Nice one, Kirb, well how
about this?

CHARLIE: Giant sequoias
can heal themselves if
they're injured.

Even if a fire comes and
burns the whole thing hollow,
they can still survive

for hundreds of years.

KIRBY (off-screen): Really?

I've never heard that,
but I think I can top it.

KIRBY: Giant sequoias are so
huge they create their own
ecosystems.

And they're home to a bunch
of different kinds of animals.

KIRBY (off-screen):
Acorn ants, cuckoo wasps,
white headed woodpeckers,

all kinds of spiders,
and even scorpions.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Don't forget big brown
bats, tree frogs,

and even snails live in these
things, but that's not the
coolest part.

CHARLIE: Scientists have
found that all of these
giant sequoias are connected

underground by fungi.

CHARLIE (off-screen): These
fungi are stretched out in
thin threads that connect all

trees together
almost like a network.

The fungi give the tree
nutrients and water, and the
trees give the fungi sugar.

The crazy thing?

Trees can share things
with each other through
these connections.

If a tree is very sick,
other trees might send
it some nutrients.

CHARLIE: Even crazier, mother
trees favor their saplings.

So, just imagine.

Right now, underground,
nutrients and information
are being passed around

between all these trees.

KIRBY (off-screen):
Alright guys, maybe,
just maybe, Charlie knows

more about trees than I do.

KIRBY: Dave's
gotta be done by now.

CHARLIE: Yeah, we got to
get up in these trees, man.

CHARLIE (off-screen): My
plan to get Kirby to fall
in love with trees is working!

The final step is getting
her in a giant sequoia to
experience their true glory!

DAVE: Alright.
Elevator lines set.

So now all we got to
do is just go up there.

KIRBY: Let's do it!

CHARLIE: Okay, so as we climb
this tree, we're not only
going higher and higher,

but we're also making our
way through different
layers of the forest.

Right now, we're on the first
layer, which is the ground.

CHARLIE (off-screen): Also
known as the forest floor.

It's followed by the second
layer, the herbaceous layer.

That's where you find
flowers and grasses.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Then the third layer
is the shrub layer,

where you find
bushes and taller plants.

CHARLIE: So, all
that's happening at
this layer right here.

But the exciting stuff
is happening up there.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
But getting 300 feet
in the air isn't easy.

CHARLIE: To get up the tree,
it's kind of like back and
forth moving your hands up.

So, each of these little red
things are connected to her.

And one is connected to this
strap right here that she's
stepping into.

CHARLIE: And throw one of them
up, and then she can sit back
down in her harness and that

one'll kind of catch her so
she can move the other one up.

So she's inching
up bit by bit.

Feeling good?

KIRBY: Feeling good.
CHARLIE: Alright.
I'm going to join ya.

KIRBY: Up we go!

CHARLIE: Kirby's taking to
climbing trees quite well.

I think she's twice as
high as I am right now.

KIRBY: Check it out!
CHARLIE: All the way up there.

We are I think like 150 feet
up right now, and this is the
view we're rocking.

CHARLIE: Not too bad,
we're so high, but we got
a lot of ways to go.

KIRBY: (Laughs).
CHARLIE: So let's do it.

CHARLIE: We're right
smack dab in the middle
of the understory.

And the understory is
the level of the tree that's
everything under the canopies.

So if you see, these
trees are so tall that they
block out a lot of the sun

from reaching
the forest floor.

So a lot of the
trees and plants on
the ground here have

to be really shade tolerant.

And a lot of them are
trees that could grow
much bigger but right

now they're really small.

They're just waiting
for one of these giant
sequoias to fall down

and let a bunch of sun penetrate
all the way down to the floor.

Then it's just a race to see
who can fill that gap next
and reach the canopy which

is the next spot we're going.

Let's go check it out.

KIRBY: I'm starting to get
into the foliage of the tree,
which is super different from

down below because look at
how giant this trunk is.

Making our way up into
the top of the forest.

CHARLIE: You doin' good?
KIRBY: Come on up, Charles.
It's awesome.

CHARLIE: Wait up, Kirb.

KIRBY: I made it
into the canopy.

It's so cool up here.

CHARLIE: I need
another rest stop.

Oh, man.
I'm tired.

We made our way to
the first branch here.

CHARLIE: We're probably
about 250 feet off the
ground right now.

And we're in the middle of
the next layer of the forest
which is the canopy.

CHARLIE (off-screen): This is
the part of the forest where
the leaves and branches are.

CHARLIE: But this is
where it gets a little
less scary, though.

That's kind of the cool thing
because you can't see the
ground as much because all the

leaves and branches are in the
way so you can't really tell
how high you are until you

look out and then just
see this huge amazing view.

It's pretty fantastic.

KIRBY: This is unreal.

CHARLIE: You got one
more stop at the top.

KIRBY (off-screen):
Weird but true, there's a
type of eucalyptus tree that

has rainbow-colored bark!

CHARLIE: You got one
more stop at the top.

KIRBY: Let's go see the view!

CHARLIE: Alright guys,
we finally made it to the
top layer of the forest,

we're in the
emergent layer right now.

CHARLIE: So the emergent
layer is the tippy top of the

tallest trees in
the entire area.

We're just juttin' up
over everything right now.

It looks absolutely insane.

CHARLIE: Most emergent
layers maybe 100 feet
if they are super tall,

but right now we're
300 feet up in the air.

Wow.
There's nothing like this.

KIRBY: Absolutely!

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Let me hit you with a
few more sequoia facts

I've been saving, Kirb.

CHARLIE: At the very top of
the trees are these giant
sequoia seed cones.

So inside these
seed cones are super,
super tiny seeds that grow

into this enormous tree.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Each sequoia cone
has about 200 seeds.

And each year a giant
sequoia produces on
average 2,000 cones.

That means each year
they produce 400,000 seeds.

CHARLIE: These seed cones
can hang on the tree for
upwards of 20 years,

before these seeds can
germinate and grow into a tree
the size of 30,000 Kirby's.

KIRBY (off-screen): 20 Years?
That's crazy!

I have to hand it to Charlie,
his love of trees really is
impressive,

and a little contagious.

Don't forget, we
aren't the only ones
having a good time up here.

CHARLIE: We got Dave
he's our pro up here.

DAVE: Hey.

CHARLIE: Jared's all the way
up top, setting our lines and
Kirby and I are just trying to

not get too tangled on
top of this giant sequoia.

CHARLIE (off-screen): Because
if you do get tangled,
sometimes you have to

Tarzan your way out.

And navigating these ropes
safely is serious business,
so it's super important to

always climb up with a
team of experts.

KIRBY: That's your goal.

CHARLIE: Oh!

DAVE: That was sick.

CHARLIE: The coolest part
about climbing trees is if
you're still for a little and

you close your eyes and you
can feel the tree kind of
swaying back and forth,

it's just a reminder that
you're climbing a living thing
and it's so cool.

KIRBY: Kinda feels
like you're on a ship.

CHARLIE: Yeah, like you're on
a boat or something like that.

It's pretty incredible.

KIRBY (off-screen): Not even
"Planet World" can compare to
the rush of climbing 300 feet

into the air on a single rope,
next to a tree that could
possibly be 2,000 years old!

CHARLIE: The really cool
thing is that everything that
we've talked about,

giant sequoias, it applies to
almost all trees everywhere.

KIRBY: What do you mean?

CHARLIE: I mean 90% of trees
never stop growing, scientists
have found 280 different kinds

of insects that
grow on oak trees.

And that fungi that we talked
about that connects all of
these giant sequoias

underground, connects
all trees in all forests.

So think about those
relationships and the
connections happening in our

backyard at home right now.

KIRBY: I guess we
should check it out then.

CHARLIE: I guess so, but
only if you want to, Kirb.

KIRBY: Of course, Charles,
'cause you know trees they're
kind of awesome. Right?

CHARLIE: Ok guys, I guess
we've got some exploring
to do in our backyard.

CHARLIE: This is exactly
what I'm talking about.

A huge giant tree, with
enormous spikes just erupting
from the bark.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Meet backyard supertree,
The Impaler.

Also known as
the honey locust.

CHARLIE: Imagine you're
a prehistoric herbivore
dinosaur looking for a meal.

Roar!

It's time for lunch.
What a nice tree.

CHARLIE: You try to
climb to the top to eat
the leaves but, "Oh, no!"

It's so prickly.
You can't climb.

You run away to another tree.

The tree is saved.
It's perfect.

KIRBY: And these are the
thorns that it evolved to
protect itself against

prehistoric dinosaurs?

CHARLIE: Yep.
KIRBY: Pretty crazy!

CHARLIE: And we're
just getting started.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Meet Backyard Super Tree #2,
The Regenerator,

also known as the willow.

CHARLIE (off-screen):
Most trees including
the giant sequoia

need seeds to regenerate.

These trees don't
need anything at all.

CHARLIE: If any of these
leaves gets detached and makes
their way into the ground,

they're gonna regenerate into
a giant willow tree like this.

KIRBY: Those tiny branches
can make this giant tree?

CHARLIE: A whole new
tree just like this
right in our back yard.

Remember earlier, Kirb,
when you were looking at
all these trees and you

thought they're just
different sizes of the
same kind of tree?

KIRBY: Feels like ages ago.

CHARLIE: What do you see now?
KIRBY: There are way too many.

I don't think I can
keep them straight.

CHARLIE: Here you go.
Your own tree key.

KIRBY: Sweet!
Let's go see what we can find!

KIRBY: White oak.

Silver maple.

Ornamental pear.

And this is a spruce.

So all of these trees
have special leaves,
on special twigs,

with special buds.

And they interact with
animals and each other.

And create this one huge
ecosystem in my backyard!

KIRBY: I have a great idea!
I'll be right back.

I gotta go grab some
stuff, but guys, stick around.

CHARLIE (off-screen): With the
ferocity of the jaguar, the
honey locust demands respect,

but like the luscious glow of
a sunset, it is the subtle
elegance that makes the willow

the king of the
suburban landscape.

CHARLIE: So ends our
journey through the majestic
woodland ecosystem of

Charlie and Kirby's backyard.

We'll see you next
time, on "Planet World."

KIRBY: Cut!

I need more emotion!
More British!

Bob, raise up that boom.

You're almost in my shot.

And Pat, slow down that pan.

Way too fast!
Come on, people!
We're losing light!

CHARLIE: Alright, guys,
it looks like we have a
new project on our hands,

but thanks so much
for stopping by.

Come by again when we discover
more things that are weird....

KIRBY: But true.

CHARLIE: We'll see you later!
KIRBY: From the top!

CHARLIE: And so ends our
journey through the majestic
woodland ecosystem of

Charlie and Kirby's backyard.
See you next time.

Captioned by Cotter
Captioning Services.