Plenty of things about Disneyland make me happy: the thrilling rides, the delicious food, the artistic details at every turn, my 9-year-old’s joy while hugging a wookie, my 12-year-old’s awe after viewing the fireworks. Our family navigated Disneyland this summer – the first visit ever for my husband and boys, and the first for myself in 25 years. We came for entertainment more than nature. What a weird trip!
I am fan of Disney movies but much more so a fan of natural wonders (Catch my Frozen story from 2020.). Our foursome’s usual vacation destinations are mountains, oceans, canyons, or creeks – mixed with museums and connections with extended family and friends. Disneyland 2022 presented me with an ultra-artificial environment and the sense of being in a foreign land without a tour guide. In addition to holding tightly to my kids’ hands in the crowds, I clung to a need for seeking familiarity. Could I find nature among the manufactured magic?
Duck!
In the channelized “river” of Storybook Land, we spotted real wildlife: a mama duck and one baby. I suddenly felt better than I had all morning of Day One in the park. Over the next two and a half days, we found more ducks swimming in the Fantasyland pond, waddling near the Radiator Springs rest stop, and amusingly out of place among the Jungle Cruise animatronics. I really am OK with the elephants and lions being fake at that close of range.
Natural Textures and Patterns
My kids – like a majority of kids, I believe – have an innate need to touch things wherever they go. They made the best of the especially restrictive environment of Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure.
“Mom, the railing’s so smooth!”: My 9-year-old appreciating the real bamboo made glossy by its own nature, varnish, and millions of human hands in line for the Jungle Cruise.
“Mom, feel this!”: My 9-year-old drawn to the bumpy grain exposed at the top of wooden posts, this time in the line for Grizzly River Run.
Quiet: Also in the Grizzly River Run que, both boys found pine needles from the path to calmly fidget with.
“Can we go over there?”: Both boys yearning – and allowed – to play in water by rolling a giant stone ball on its hidden water jet bearings. My husband and I watched while sitting in the shade of the Pizza Planet patio.
“Mom, is this an air plant?”: My 12-year-old accurately comparing the growth pattern of a fallen Spanish moss scrap to a plant he tried tending at home. Also known as epiphytes, these plants are weird in their own right – you can explore their diversity at the fantastic local store EcoGro. Thank you, Southern CA humidity, for helping air plants grow more easily at Disneyland than in Tucson!
Real Desert Plants
On the morning of Day Two, I felt more at home than any other time in our three Disneyland/DCA days. The Radiator Springs Racers ride took us through gorgeous fake mountains and canyons, some of which are truly inspired by Route 66 landscapes from Northern Arizona. My kids struggled to wait an admittedly long time in that line. Meanwhile, I was excited to wind our way through plants straight out of Southern Arizona: ocotillo, barrel cactus, palo verde, Texas ranger, and brittlebush much tamer than those taking over my Tucson yard. Further in grew riparian sycamores and oaks. So even though multiple desert ecosystems were squished together in a few acres of space, this desert rat approves of the Disney-fied showcase.
Plants as Art
If I look at Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure as gigantic pieces of art, I can also learn a lot about plants as media. The topiary animals I remembered from my first trip when I was five – one life form representing another. The use of bonsai trees and clover hillsides to craft miniature scenes in the Storybook Land ride was a re-discovered magic for me. Dollhouse miniatures are a past passion of mine, and I’ve made tiny gardens with students for imaginative play. Naturally, a world of new possibilities opened up for me in that realm.
The colors and shapes of low-lying plants became vivid mosaics and murals in the hands of Disneyland gardeners throughout the park. My personal gardening style is pretty anti-border and pro-wild habitat. I still appreciate the palette made available by carefully selected plants. I’m glad there are many types of gardeners, and gardens, in the world.
Fake traffic cones as real planters? A funny feature at the Cozy Cone Motel. It drew me in because I love the concept of re-purposing, even though these planters were probably made of fiberglass. Next time I see a real discarded cone…
Plants as architecture? At Disneyland, sure! The effect of manicured vines and hedges incorporated into the façade of It’s a Small World really invited me in as well as softened the ride’s line on a warm Day Three afternoon.
The End – and Future Inspiration
At Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure, we enjoyed the rides, food, and views. We also needed nature to help us feel a connection to a place more imaginary than real. What grounds you and your family when you feel weird or out of place? Where will you navigate this summer and beyond?
