CommunityNews
Knowledge Check
By Cheryl Conley- Lake Creek Nature Preserve
Whether you’ re a devoted every-word reader or more of a skimmer, this month’ s article is here to gently put that to the test. Instead of the usual format, I’ ve put together a fun nature and wildlife quiz, with questions pulled from articles I’ ve written. If you breeze through the quiz, congratulations: you may be one of the select few who actually read every word. If not, no worries. It’ s just for fun. Either way, sharpen your senses, trust your instincts, and see how closely you’ ve been tracking the stories you’ ve already explored.
1. Alligator gars can grow up to———— feet long. 2. Besides the opossum, what insect plays dead as a defense mechanism? 3. Raccoons are nocturnal. Why might you see one out during the day? 4. Who is responsible for planting the beautiful blue bonnets along our roadways across the state? 5. Scientists and researchers all agree that the———— is the most intelligent bird in the animal kingdom.
6. Are eastern screech owls omnivores( an animal or person that eats food of both plant and animal origin), carnivores( an animal or person that eats meat or animal tissue), or herbivores( they primarily eat plants)?
7. Are hammerhead worms beneficial to our environment? 8. What is the name of the largest cockroach you might find around or in your home? 9. Do lovebugs bite or sting? 10. Name the 3 species of squirrels that can be found in our area. 11. Is the hickory horned devil a snake, a bird, or a caterpillar?
12. Let’ s make this last one a little harder. The screwworm is an obligate parasite. What does that mean?
1. 10 feet, 2. The walking stick, 3. It’ s either a pregnant or a nursing mom foraging for food, 4. It is the work of the Texas Department of Transportation, 5. Crow, 6. Carnivores, 7. No. Hummerhead worms are an invasive species and pray on our beneficial earthworms and other invertebrates, 8. The largest one you are likely to see in and around your home is the American cockroach growing up to 2 inches long. They are also known as water bugs or palmetto bugs, 9. No, 10. The eastern grey squirrel, the eastern fox squirrel, and the southern flying squirrel, 11. A caterpillar, 12. Screwworms must have a living, warm-blooded host to survive and reproduce
HOW DID YOU DO?
0-3 Correct: The Casual Wanderer You enjoy nature, but mostly from the edge of the trail. You may have skimmed a few articles- or wandered off
4-6 Correct: The Curious Observer You’ ve been paying attention... just not obsessively. You remember the highlights, notice patterns, and know your way around a good wildlife fact.
7-9 Correct: The Seasoned Naturalist Impressive. You’ ve clearly spent time in these stories and in the wild places they came from. Your recall is sharp, and your curiosity sharper.
Answers:
10-12 Correct: The Devoted Reader Either you read every article carefully, or you have an uncanny memory for nature trivia. In any case, take a bow- you’ ve been tracking closely.
Regardless of how you scored, thanks for wandering the wild with me again. Nature remains impressively abundant in the subject-matter department, so I’ ll keep sharing what I learn- doing my best to make the informative parts as interesting as the world they come from.
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