Morton Arboretum launches frog-themed exhibit
Anyone interested in frogs and trees will "toad-ally" love the Morton Arboretum's new Ribbit! The Exhibit.
Visitors are invited to hop outside the visitor center and around Meadow Lake in Lisle to find 23 whimsical cooper frogs - many molded into relatable, humanlike poses - that will be unveiled to the public Friday.
They can take a seat on a bench next to Emerson, the coffee-drinking frog, or enjoy a peaceful moment with Zenny, a frog meditating on a lily pad in the reading garden. They'll be surprised by Edward, a frog looking down from a white oak branch, and laugh at Bentley, a frog riding a tortoise outside the Children's Garden.
"The frogs really make people happy," said Interpretation Program Coordinator Cindy Crosby. "When you see the frogs, they just seem to seamlessly fit. It's like they're home."
The 4- to 7-foot sculptures are the brainchild of North Carolina-based artist J.A. Cobb. Roughly 500 pounds of sheet cooper were used on the project and each creation took Cobb, on average, about 150 hours to complete.
Crosby said the hope is that the exhibit, which runs through Sept. 25, will give visitors a different lens through which to view the nature around them.
"We want people to go out beyond the exhibit and really explore those 1,700 acres that we have because in the wetlands and the woodlands and the prairie there are frogs," she said. "Once you start listening for them you'll be amazed what you hear."
At least seven different species of frogs live on the grounds of the arboretum. Visitors can listen to the sounds some of those frogs make by scanning a QR code on the display near Shorty, Charlie and Miles, a trio of jazz musician frogs. They'll hear the creaking of the Western Chorus Frog and the sleigh bell-like sounds emitted by Spring Peepers.
"They're all around us," Crosby said. "It's just we usually aren't paying attention to them, and we hope that people who come to the exhibit will just gain this awareness of all the amazing things that are here around us."
Scully, a scuba diving frog wading in the pond, also has a QR code that will show visitors footage of tadpoles. Ribbit-related events for kids include tadpole-themed crafts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekend in May. "Frogtastic Play" will also keep young visitors busy from 1 to 4 p.m. in April and May in the Children's Garden.
Adults can take part in frog-themed hop-penings, too, such as a Frog ID Workshop on May 5 that will involve naming the frogs and doing some outdoor exploration for them. Many other events are listed on the arboretum's website at mortonarb.org.
Anyone who shares their photos with the copper frogs on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using hashtag #ribbetTMA will be entered into a raffle to win a $100 Morton Arboretum gift card. Visitors also can take a more in-depth tour of the exhibit by downloading the Morton Arboretum app on their smartphones.
"There's a lot of layers in this exhibit and you can go as deep into those layers as you want to go," Crosby said. "We've tried to ensure for people who just want entertainment, it can be entertaining, but for people who really want to learn about trees and frogs, you can do that, too."