Autumn is putting on its show across much of the country, so today’s trivia is all about the science of the season: changing leaves, traveling butterflies, the night sky and the animals getting ready for winter. There are nine questions, and a nature lover should do very well.
Which pigment gives leaves their green color during spring and summer?
The yellows and oranges of fall come from carotenoids. When are these pigments in the leaf?
The bright reds and purples of trees like maples come from pigments that are mostly made in autumn. What are they called?
According to the USDA Forest Service, what mainly signals trees to begin their fall color change?
Each fall, eastern monarch butterflies fly thousands of miles to spend the winter in fir forests in which country?
What is the name of the full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox?
In the Northern Hemisphere, the September (autumnal) equinox usually falls on which dates?
Which familiar North American animal is one of the few "true hibernators," sleeping deeply from late fall into early spring?
Which bird is famous for honking as it flies overhead in long V-shaped formations during fall migration?
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Did You Know?
The same weather that makes for a brilliant fall can vary from year to year. Warm, sunny days followed by cool nights that stay above freezing tend to bring out the most vivid reds, which is why some autumns seem more colorful than others.
Sources
- USDA Forest Service: Why Leaves Change Color
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Partnering to Conserve Monarchs Across North America
- NASA ScienceCasts (via SpaceRef): The Harvest Moon
- Time and Date: Facts About the September Equinox
- PBS Nature: Groundhog Facts
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Canada Goose