Along the Jesup Path, a railing defines a small deck that overlooks the forest. A wide, angled panel attached to the top of the railing displays a wayside exhibit entitled "More Than Meets the Eye."
The exhibit's title appears next to a partial view of a birch tree with its characteristic peeling white bark.
Introductory text reads: "The birches dominate and demand our attention, but be patient and look closely - this freshwater wetland is full of all kinds of life hidden in the grasses, on logs, and on boulders."
Text accompanies nine images that appear across the long horizontal panel:
-Two tentacles protrude from the head of a spotted, snake-like slug. "As the sun goes down, look for spotted garden slugs feeding on fungi and decaying leaves."
-Black edging adorns the yellow wings of a butterfly. "You might see an eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly sipping nectar from wildflowers."
-What appears to be a patch of peeling paint on tree bark is actually a crusty lichen. "White paint lichens provide shelter for insects and food for small mammals."
-A lichen clings to a branch, resembling a soft tangled beard. "Look for old man's beard growing on branches above."
-A mottled brown frog sits on duckweed. "Female northern green frogs lay up to 3,000 eggs on the water's surface. Fertilized eggs become tadpoles and within a year, adult frogs."
-A tan mushroom's dome-shaped cap grows on a short, thick stem. "Mushrooms decompose dead plants in the forest and help living plants absorb those nutrients."
-Yellow patches stand out on a fallen tree-limb. "In rainy weather this common jelly fungus, called witches' butter, appears in bark crevices on dead branches."
-Raindrops dot a green leaf. "The presence or lack of water may affect what species you see."
-A lizard-like creature has a blunt snout and short limbs. "An eastern red-backed salamander hunts for insects in the leaf litter."
A quote: "What we see depends mainly on what we look for." - John Lubbock
