Category Archives: Quiz

Winter Weeds: Goldenrod

Quiz, Winter Weeds & Trees


If you recognize this flower in August it also looks familiar at this time of year.

Tall or Canada Goldenrod is a native perennial that maintains its shape, even in winter.  It still stands two to six feet tall, it still carries alternate leaves on a rough stem and it still holds up a plume-like spire where the flowers used to be.  The spire was a dense cluster of golden flowers in August.  Now it’s a dense cluster of seeds.

You’ll find goldenrod in open areas, often in large patches because the rhizomes (roots) spread underground.

Goldenrod species are notoriously difficult to identify.  I listed two names for this plant because I’m not sure which one it is.  It might be Tall Goldenrod, maybe Canada Goldenrod, maybe something else.  It doesn’t matter.  My excuse is that the plant isn’t in good condition. 

And here’s a Quiz:  Can you identify the tall plant on the left edge of this photo?  I discussed it in an earlier Winter Weeds blog.  Remember?

p.s. Today is Groundhog Day.  Check here for news from Punxsutawney Phil.  Rumor has it he did not see his shadow so Spring is near.

(photo by Marcy Cunkelman)

Quiz: Whose Baby?

Beyond Bounds, Quiz


Quiz!

Whose curly-headed baby bird is this?

Here are some hints:

  • He is on an island in the Pacific Ocean.
  • His species is critically endangered because 99.9% of them nest this island only.
  • His parents built no nest.  His mother laid his egg on bare ground.
  • It took two months for this baby to hatch, then six more months before he can fly.
  • His parents feed him regurgitated oil derived from fish, squid and crustaceans.
  • Sometimes he must wait a long time between feedings because his parents travel 6 to 60 miles to find food.
  • He is one of 22 species in this family of birds (species count from BirdLife International).
  • A famous poem tells us it’s very bad luck to kill this type of bird.

Do you know who he is?  Leave a comment with your answer. 

UPDATE at 9:45am:  Most of you guessed the family of birds correctly.  Can any of you guess the exact species?  Hint: This is a tropical island.

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(photo by Deborah Acklin)

Quiz: Who else can fly like this?

Quiz


Quick!  Name an animal — not a bird — that can fly like this.  Here are some clues.

  • This animal doesn’t flap, but it does fly.
  • It has better lift and less drag than many insects.
  • It’s lift ability is the same as for hawks and wood ducks.
  • The longest time it’s been recorded aloft is 45 seconds.
  • It can travel as much as 1,300 feet in one flight.  That’s more than 4 football fields!
  • And, with the help of the wind, it can speed along at 43 miles per hour.

Leave a comment with your answer.

(If you’re really stumped, the answer is at this link.)

(photo from Wikimedia Commons.  Click on the image to see the original)

Quiz: Where do rabbits go in the winter?

Mammals, Quiz


Today’s quiz is something I’ve been wondering about.

In spring, summer and fall rabbits were everywhere and easy to find.  Now that the ground is snow covered, I haven’t seen any and I’ve found only one set of tracks in all my travels. 

So where did the rabbits go?  Are they hiding?  Or sleeping? 

My reference guides make it sound like the winter life of rabbits is barely different from summer’s except that they change their diet from leaves to twigs.  I find it hard to believe that that’s the only difference.

If you know what rabbits do and where they go in the winter, please leave a comment to let me know. 

I’m sure many of us will learn from it!

(photo by D. Gordon E. Robertson from Wikipedia. Click on the photo to see the original.)

Quiz: Whose Nest?

Quiz


Now that the trees are bare I’m sure you’ve noticed large ball-shaped nests in the bigger trees. 

Do you know whose nests these are? 

Here’s some information that may help you answer the question:

  • The nests are round and about the size of a beachball.
  • They’re as much as 70 feet above the ground.  Click on the nest photo to see what they look like from a distance.
  • The outer layer is often covered in leaves.
  • The inside is lined with moss, grasses, shredded bark, etc.
  • The opening of this nest is not on top.  Instead it faces the tree trunk.  Can you guess where the opening is on a nest that has no trunk near it?
  • Believe it or not, this nest is water resistant.

So, whose nest is this?  Leave a comment with your answer.

(photos by Marcy Cunkelman)

Quiz: What happened here?

Quiz


Today’s quiz should be easy for anyone who lives in Pennsylvania. 

I found this damaged hemlock in Moraine State Park last weekend. 

  • What happened to this tree?
  • Who did this?  And why?
  • Does this happen to trees of any size?
  • Does this normally happen to hemlocks?
  • Hardest question:  What significance does tomorrow, November 29, have for this particular tree?

Post a comment with your answer.

p.s. I will be traveling today so you’ll see all the comments appear at once when I get to a computer and approve them.

(photo by Kate St. John)

Quiz: Not a Thrush?

Migration, Quiz, Songbirds

1 November 2010

Yesterday, 31 Oct 2010, I was happy to see a flock of these birds on the exposed, dry mud at Shenango River Lake.  I know their identity but they’re tricky, so here’s a quiz. 

First clue: He’s not a sparrow because his beak is too thin.  Sparrows have deep seed-cracking beaks, this bird does not.

Perhaps he’s a thrush?  He has a striped breast, short neck, thrush-like stance, almost-thrush-sized bill, and he walks a lot. 

A longer look reveals many “Not Thrush” things about him. 

  • He’s a little smaller than a Swainson’s thrush.  Unfortunately his size is hard to gauge because he’s rarely near anything that gives him scale.
  • He is only found in open tundra-like landscape, never in the forest.
  • He has wing bars.  Our eastern thrushes do not.
  • His outer tail edges are white.  (You can see this when he flies.)
  • When he walks he darts and jabs in a quick manner that’s different from the deliberate walk-and-pause of thrushes.
  • He pumps his tail and almost wags it.  Hermit thrushes raise then slowly lower their tails. The top side of his tail, which you can’t see in this photo, is not rusty like that of a hermit thrush.
  • In flight this bird is bouncier than a goldfinch.
  • And like a goldfinch he always calls when he flies.  His call is a dead giveaway.  He says his name.

Final hint:  This bird is a treat to see because he neither breeds nor winters in Pennsylvania.

Ready for the answer? Check the comments.

(photo by Steve Gosser)

Quiz: What tree?

Quiz, Schenley Park, Trees


I believe I know the answer but I’m not absolutely sure so I’m asking you, dear readers.

What tree is this with such bountiful fruit?  It’s a short, ornamental tree, probably non-native.  Notice how the bright red fruit hangs in clusters from the branches.  I’m amazed the birds were not eating it yet.

Want to see it for yourself?  It’s one of several such trees in Schenley Park on the right side of the walk to the ice rink near Schenley Oval.

If you know its name – or even have a wild guess – leave a comment to let us know.

(photo by Kate St. John)