How much do you know about Seeing Red? | Quiz

Answer: False

The trigger that starts the process leading to those gorgeous autumn displays is day length. When daylight hours are reduced to a certain point, cells at the base of the leaf begin to divide rapidly, forming a layer known as the abscission layer, that eventually blocks nutrients from making their way into the leaves from the trunk and roots of the tree, and chloropyhll manufactured in the leaves cannot reach the rest of the tree. Chlorophyll production slows and then stops, and when that happens, the leaves change color. Temperature also plays a small role in leaf color, but not as great a triggering role as the reduction in day length.

Answer: Piranha

Although there is only one species of Venus flytrap, there are quite a few cultivars-varietals that have been selectively bred to achieve a certain color or structure. The Piranha is one such cultivar, and very formidable-looking with its red inflorescence and sharp teeth!

Answer: Velvet

According to several sources, red velvet cake got its name from how ingredients in the original recipe (which, by the way, has several versions) reacted chemically during preparation. A combination of vinegar, buttermilk and cocoa are said to be responsible not only for the cake's reddish hue (these days, a healthy dollop of red food coloring helps this along), but also for its light, velvety texture.

The cake is indeed beautiful to behold, and delicious.

Answer: Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is a variety of grape that is grown in a number of regions around the world, and which produces a red wine that is distinctly dry in tone. "Sauvignon" is derived from the French word "sauvage"-"wild"-a reference to the grape's origin as a wild grape native to France.

Answer: The hammer and sickle

The hammer symbolized industrial workers, and the sickle, farmers, who together comprised the workers for whom the 1917 revolution had been fought. The symbols of hammer and sickle or variations thereof, have been used in other cultures as well to symbolize the unity of working classes.

Answer: No

There do exist reddish mushrooms that can be eaten-although, of course, you should NEVER experiment with eating an unfamiliar mushroom you find growing in the wild-and it is probably wise to proceed with caution if you find mushrooms for sale in farmers' markets in foreign countries, because some types of mushrooms are only edible after cooking. Pictured is a mushroom of the Russula genus, some of which are edible (although I was unable to verify that this one can be safely consumed)! The root of Russula is russ-, which means "red". Several varieties of Boletus mushrooms are both reddish and edible, too.

Answer: South African Red Bishop Bird

Also known as the Southern Red Bishop, this bird is a passerine-the most common type of bird, with three toes pointing forward and one backward, which allows them to perch on tree branches. Most passerines are songbirds.

The South African Red Bishop is so-called because it lives south of the equator in Africa. (It has a northern counterpart north of the equator.) It favors marshy areas and grasslands. Only breeding males have the brightly colored plumage shown in the photograph.

Answer: The Red Shoes

Andersen's story, about an enchanted pair of shoes and their unfortunate owner's struggles with them, was published in 1845, and made into a movie of the same name-but only loosely based on the original story-in 1948.

Answer: Begonia

There are nearly 2,000 species of begonias, which are native to Africa. There are many varieties of begonia, with differing floral and leaf shapes, sizes and colors. They are easy to grow and to propagate, which has enhanced their popularity as a house plant for decades, and they can be grown outdoors in warm climates, or in the warmer months in temperate areas.

Answer: Eurasian red squirrel

It's a red squirrel, which are common in Europe and Asia, but not found in the Americas. There is an American red squirrel but it's a different species than the Eurasian one.

Eurasian red squirrels are on the decline in the British Isles and parts of continental Europe since the introduction there in 1948 of America's Eastern gray squirrel. Although the two aren't antagonistic to one another in the sense that they don't fight, there is a disease carried by the gray squirrels that is fatal to the reds, and the red squirrel's number have been decreasing steadily for decades.