Motion Pictures

Youtube never ceases to amaze me … videos on almost any subject can be found there, posted by literally everyone and their grandmother. I periodically do keyword searches and was recently surprised to come across two videos of the Moorten Botanical Garden & Cactarium in Palm Springs. I couldn’t wait to watch and see if they bore any resemblance to the trip we took there last September. (If you missed that post, click here.) The first video is very short and focuses on The Cactarium.

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Interesting, but I found the narration a bit flat and the camera work gave me vertigo. Cute dog, though, and it was nice to see Estelle Getty again. Next! …

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More impressionistic, this video boasts a lovely soundtrack and a spectral visitation by a snacking lady in black. I loved the sound of the doves cooing in the background but overall it lacked focus and dramatic tension … I noticed that another cactarium video was available, from Viña Del Mar, Chile this time, and I thought why not have a look at how they do it in South America …

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Flat narration again — and in Spanish. Drat! … much grander cactarium structure, though. Too bad it was closed.

The lesson I’m taking from these videos is that visiting a botanic garden via video will never replace getting up close and personal by actually going there … Not even seeing photos and reading about them here can compare. In 2011, I vow to visit and support botanic gardens near and far …

I hope you’ll join me!

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UPDATE: Monica submits a video of the fantastically named Poot’s Cactus House in Ripon, California; be sure to check out her comment and the accompanying video.

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