The gravel path through the Wild Gardens connects with another path - a boardwalk through a dense forest. Here, a wayside exhibit features an upright panel attached to a stone base.
The exhibit's title, "Jesup Path," appears over a view of a boardwalk leading through a green forest. Dappled sunlight patterns the wooden slats. Two visitors pausing at a bench gaze up at the treetops.
Text reads: "Sharpen your senses as you stroll along this boardwalk and explore the sights, sounds, and textures of this freshwater wetland. Look closely for old man's beard and witches' butter growing on branches. Touch the birch's paper-thin bark and feel subtle differences in rushes, grasses, and sedges. Listen to the songs of spring peepers, warblers, and other wetland musicians ... along this 0.9-mile long trail."
Images overlay the view of the forest:
-Raccoon tracks show five long toes and an oval pad on each foot.
-Black and white spots pattern a Painted Lady butterfly's orange wings.
-Dark stripes form horizontal bars across a Great Horned Owl's tan feather.
A quote: "Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain." - Henry David Thoreau
