Cumming Nature Center > Exhibits
Camouflage & Habitat
Try to spot what plants and animals are hiding in highly detailed murals. Explore what it means to share a “habitat” and a “community with living and non-living things.
Each living thing inhabits a space in the natural world. The living and the non-living things that exist in a single organism’s immediate surroundings make up its “habitat.” When the habitats of several plants and animals occupy the same space or spaces that are very close together, they form a “community” such as a forest, a lake, or a bog.
Who shares your habitat?
Think about the living things around you. Do you have pets in your house? Outside, do you see trees, or grass, or flowers or birds and insects? All of these and many more living things share your habitat.
Several interactives clustered around a highly detailed mural by regional artist, Mary Mullard, depict animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects in their natural camouflaged habitat. The mural demonstrates how well animals actually hide in their environment and depicts a screech owl blending into the bark of a tree, a black bear hidden in the dark recesses of pine branches, a coyote standing whose fur matches the exact shade of dried grasses and a fawn bedded down in fallen oak leaves.
Inspired by artists such as Bev Doolittle who skillfully render hidden images in their detailed paintings, the mural encourages visitors to really look for these creatures while hiking on the nature trails, paying careful attention to appreciate and learn more about the habitat, plants and natural surroundings where they may find them.
