Winter Wonderland Trivia Quiz

Answer: Glands in their abdomen

Spiders make webs by using material secreted from special glands located at the tip of their abdomen. Every spider web is unique. Webs vary in size and thickness from species to species and even each individual spider. The spider uses body weight for tension when spinning a web. Once it is done, it will lurk either in the web or close by and wait for some unsuspecting insect to come into contact with the web and get stuck.

It will be alerted by vibrations caused by the struggling insect. The spider then emerges and often wraps the insect in more web material, storing it in a sort of web larder, for later consumption.

Answer: They will fight, to the death if necessary.

Male robins are very territorial and will not share territory with another male. They will fight to keep their territory, and if neither will back down then that fight can be to the death. In the United Kingdom, robins are present all year round, and are a familiar sight around gardens.

Other than with each other, they are quite friendly birds who are unafraid of people. It is quite common to have a robin perched on a garden fork or fence waiting for you to uncover a tasty earthworm for it. Many will come and feed from the hand if enough patience is exercised.

Answer: Britain

Although often thought of as a native British wildflower, snowdrops are an introduced species. They were probably introduced in Roman times. They are native to much of Europe from France to Turkey, and even parts of Russia. Although there are now hundreds of species grown thanks to hybridisation, the original plants of the Galanthus genus, to which they belong, consist of around twenty species. Most of these flower in the winter, although you can find some late autumn flowering species.

Answer: 70F

Pansies prefer cool temperatures, both for germination and peak flowering. Their ideal germination temperature is from 40F at night to 60F during the day, if exposed to temperatures of 70F and over the seed is unlikely to germinate. To grow your own pansies to plant in autumn for spring colour in the UK, sow the seed during May or June rather than in the hotter months of July or August.

The most common causes of seed failure are high temperatures and moisture fluctuation.

Answer: East Coast

The east coast of Australia is the most likely to see snow. Part of the Blue Mountain Range is called the Snowy Mountains, and Falls Creek draws people there during the Australian winter for the ski slopes. Tasmania also gets snow, and Hobart is the only major Australian city that boasts snowfall on a regular basis. Australia even knows what it is like to have a white Christmas.

In 2006, freak weather conditions meant snow fell on the Snowy Mountains in December, which is summer in Australia, and it nearly happened again in 2010 when a cold front blew in bringing snow in December.

Answer: House martin

House martins, along with Swallows and Swifts, are strictly summer visitors to British shores. When we are in the depths of winter in Britain, they have migrated south of the Sahara to a much warmer climate. We do get inward winter migration in Britain, though. Our all year round populations of tits and starlings increases with migrants from Scandinavia and Russia.

Many species of wild geese over winter on estuaries and salt marshes. Flocks of fieldfares arrive in Britain during January, and if winter is especially severe in parts of Northern Europe we may see big flocks of waxwings as well.

Answer: Paws

Most dogs go slightly, or even completely, crazy at the sight of snow and will happily play in it for some time. You do need to check their paws when they come in, though, as ice can compact in between their toes, causing cuts. If they have been playing in an area that may have had salt and grit sprayed onto it from passing traffic, it is best to completely wash their paws as licking this off can make them quite ill. If the dogs have rolled in the snow, as most of them will, a towel-off is a good idea as not all of them have coats designed to completely protect them from the cold and wet.

Answer: North America

The wild turkey is native to North America, and is the bird from which the domestic fowl that we eat is descended. They got their name because the first Europeans to come across them thought they were a type of guinea fowl. These were called turkey fowl from the country of Turkey, as the original ones were imported from there.

The name became shortened to just turkey, and they have been called that ever since.

Answer: Frost Fairs

There are records of King Henry VIII travelling by sleigh along the frozen River Thames. The first true frost fair was recorded as being in 1608. When the Thames froze, people skated, played football and participated in other games. There were stalls offering side shows, hot chestnuts and souvenirs of various types. Horse races were held, along with bull baiting and dog fighting.

By the early 1800s, fairground rides had been added. The last traditional frost fair happened in 1814 and lasted for four days. Since then changes to the river embankments, a warmer climate, and the warmth coming from buildings and traffic in London meant that, even though small stretches of the river may get a slight covering of ice, the river is unlikely to freeze hard enough for another one to be held.

Answer: Head

We lose most body heat through an uncovered head, so a nice hat helps keep you warm on a cold day. When wrapping up against the cold, it is better to have several light layers of clothing than one bulky layer. Air gets trapped in between the layers and helps with insulation and trapping body heat.

This also has the advantage of making it easy to shed one or two layers if you get too hot indoors, where taking off a bulky layer might not be practical (or decent).