Audio

Access Wayside: A Sense of the Seasons

Acadia National Park

Transcript

Along the deck railing at Jordan Pond House, a panel displays a wayside exhibit entitled "A Sense of the Seasons."

The exhibit's title appears over four images of Jordan Pond taken in different seasons. On the left, snow forms a white blanket over some rocks in the shallow water. A close-up image shows a black-throated green warbler perching on a bare branch. At the north end of the pond, two rounded mountains called the Bubbles are dusted with snow.

A cluster of blueberries on a leafy stem appears over a view of the pond, its shore covered with cobblestones. Trees form green swaths on The Bubbles.

Next, a yellow-and-black striped Monarch butterfly appears over a field of autumn red leaves on black huckleberry and highbush blueberry plants. In the distance, fall colors paint the trees on distant mountains.

The last view shows a snowy owl flying over a snow-covered Jordan Pond. An ice fishing house, resembling a small cabin, stands on the frozen surface. The Bubbles, their rounded peaks dusted with snow, form a hazy backdrop.

Text reads: "As Acadia's seasons change, so too does this celebrated view. Each season awakens a distinct landscape — invigorated by rich new life. Thawing ponds, robins in flight, and the melody of warblers signal spring's arrival. Longer days and warmer weather bring an abundance of flowers, fruits, and insects — landmarks of summer. Each fall, skies fill with raptors and butterflies shifting south to warmer climates. As ice and snow blanket the land, arctic species such as snowy owls erupt from the frigid north to frequent inland lakes and mountaintops."

A quote: "Be an observer: Seek the first bloom, watch marshes turning green and hillsides greener still. Listen for birdsong and melting ice. Turn over each leaf as it unfolds and later falls. No season is possible without the others — winter's long shadows hold the possibility of spring." - Catherine Schmitt, author, A Coastal Companion: A Year in the Gulf of Maine from Cape Cod to Canada

Description

An audio description is provided for "A Sense of the Seasons," an interpretive wayside at Acadia National Park.

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