Along the Jesup Path, a railing defines a small deck that overlooks the forest. A wooden bench sits at one end. A wide, angled panel attached to the top of the railing displays a wayside exhibit entitled "Sounds of the Seasons."
The title appears among an array of images presented in this long horizontal panel.
Introductory text reads: "Be still and enjoy the concert in this freshwater wetland. Listen to the melodious songs of avian soloists and the varied croaking of frogs. Do you hear faint rustling sounds in the leaf litter as reptiles and small mammals forage for insects, berries, and worms?"
Six images feature various wetland creatures:
-A woodpecker with a sharp bill and red crest clings to a tree with its talons. Two fledglings lean out a hole in the trunk, their mouths open. "You may not see a pileated woodpecker, but if one is around its loud wuk-wuk-wuk call will reverberate through the wetland."
-A reddish-brown squirrel with dark almond-shaped eyes and a curved fuzzy tail perches on a branch as it munches on an apple core. "Red squirrels lend a soft chit-chit chattering to the concert."
-A frog's throat-sac resembles a bubble. "Listen for the banjo-like gungk of northern green frogs and, in the spring, the steady refrain of spring peepers."
A golden-yellow bird perches on a thin branch. "In the summer, do you hear the musical sweet-sweet-sweet-I'm-so-sweet of yellow warblers?"
A brown insect has powerful back legs and folded wings. "Crickets tend to be nocturnal, but at dusk you might hear their steady, low chirp-chirp-chirping. They create this sound by rubbing their wings - not their legs - together."
An owl with a large head and orange bill sits with its mottled brown wings folded. "In the fall, at dusk and into the night, the wetland resounds with the barred owl's hooting, who, who, who cooks for you."
A quote: "Read with your ears." - Gerard Manley Hopkins
