Knowledge Check

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?

ANSWERS:

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. Hammerhead 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 after the first paragraph to watch TV.

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.

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.