Our closest metropolis, here in western New York, Buffalo, is proud of its botanical gardens, which I've just visited for the first time. I'd never seen them but had driven past, remarking on some slight similarity with Kew.
Which they weren't of course but they still had a lot of charm.
Funny thing though - as we went through the hothouses, suitably masked as per regulations, even though there was hardly anyone else there, as per regulations, a lot of the displays were of sub-tropical stuff, palm trees of various kinds and such which grow like weeds in Florida. So it wasn't really news to us. Take Spanish moss which drapes over the live oak trees everywhere in the south like this...
Here it was draped for show like washing over rails.....
Looked as though it had been specially blow-dried too. And I've spent a lot of time digging surplus ones of these up from the side of our Florida house
Though one could say that seeing them out of context makes them seem that bit more special.
There was a medicinal plant area too and I was much taken with the disclaimer....
In particular that the information given had not been "evaluated" by the Food and Drug Administration. Well you can't be too careful - someone might just grab a handful and cook it up and then sue because it didn't cure them - or worse.
But it was all worth it for the cacti. I'd never seen such a display. Giant toothbrushes....
Something that looked like a spiky Christmas pudding
Nature was certainly having fun with these!
Another of the giant puddings - or perhaps a coronavirus....
"Drunkard's Dream" - you couldn't make it up.
And this one was a Medusa's Head.
When I was about six year's old I stroked someone's pet cactus because it looked furry. I'm still pulling the spines out. Despite that, I never really understood the fascination before but I think I do now.
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