Touch, see, learn and wonder

When you have glass displays, you have fingerprints, smudges and smears. But windows give you a clear and close view of the living species beyond the glass. The animals inside have a story to tell that can only be revealed by watching and learning. Each creature's tale is seen in its eyes, face, movement, color and behavior. ADVERTISEMENT While spraying glass cleaner on the window exhibits at the Nature Center this week, I noticed a handprint. It was tiny and near the top of the frame. It was obvious that a mom or dad had held their toddler high enough so they could see JoJo the armadillo. The handprint showed me the activities of the day. I wondered what other stories the windows preserved. So, I turned off the switches in the Nature Center, leaving only the animal displays lit. Ahhh … stepping back, I saw an entire story of the day through the displays. Eight little fingerprints at the very bottom told me that a child was only tall enough to tiptoe over the frame to take a look at Lyle the skink, while little thumbs grabbed the wooden border below. An adult fingerprint told me that perhaps Grandpa pointed out Tosha the boa constrictor high in her tree. The multiple handprints overlapping in a band across the window told me that a school or daycare had visited Chahinkapa that day. Together, these children witnessed the wonder of Casper, the white rat snake. Across the room, equal fascination among our visitors was marked by a nose print on the tortoise display. A smear from another nose at the beetle exhibit perhaps marked a quick realization that creepy crawlers live here. ADVERTISEMENT A day at Chahinkapa is not only about the large mammals and birds seen in the zoo commons. It also includes the educational value of close peeks into the magical world of small critters. Chahinkapa Zoo — touch, see, learn and wonder. It is waiting for you! Fall hours starting Sept. 8: Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Closed Monday through Thursday. Kathy Diekman is the Chahinkapa Zoo director.