The Nature of Oregon Quiz | States

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Perhaps the most famous mountain in a state filled with mountains, this peak towers over the city of Portland, and is used as a symbol by many Portland businesses. What mountain is it?

Answer: Mount Hood

Named after British admiral Samuel Hood, but called Wy'East by the native Multnomah tribe, Mount Hood dominates the eastern skyline of Portland. This gorgeous dormant volcano, the highest mountain in Oregon, rises to over 11,200 feet (official heights vary) and is a mecca for skiers and mountain climbers.

This photo was taken from the Mount Hood Train Ride near Odell, Oregon.

2. The western half of Oregon is primarily covered in dense forests, and the tree that produced this cone is the most common in these forests. With a scientific name of Pseudotsuga menziesii, which tree is a staple of Oregon commerce, used primarily for building lumber?

Answer: Douglas fir

The Douglas fir is almost synonymous with the Pacific Northwest. Not a true fir (thus the scientific name Pseudotsuga, which means "false fir,") it is nonetheless a prolific and useful tree. "Doug firs," as they are called locally, are the staple of the Pacific Northwest lumber industry.

This photo was taken in the Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon.

3. Iconic mountains, iconic trees, iconic fish... What fish, which is born in freshwater streams, migrates to the ocean, then returns to its native streams to spawn, is a symbol of the Pacific Northwest, as seen on this bicycle rack decoration?

Answer: salmon

Salmon are beloved and imperiled in the Pacific Northwest. While entire towns pass "salmon-safe stream" resolutions which bring citizens out to clean up streams and welcome the salmon home, salmon habitat is degraded by clear-cutting, which allows sediments to clog their streams, and dam building, which blocks their access to their spawning grounds.

This photo was taken near the docks in Wheeler, Oregon.

4. The deepest lake in the United States, this azure-blue wonder in southern Oregon is named for the process that formed it.

Answer: Crater Lake

The centerpiece of Crater Lake National Park, this jewel attracts thousands of visitors yearly. Originally, as a lake formed not by stream action but by the accumulation of precipitation in the crater left by a dead volcano, it had no fish. Of course, humans always think that they can improve on nature, and an Oregon newspaperman named William Steel, founder of the Albany Herald, decided in the 1880s that the lake must have fish.

He paid local kids to bring him fish, and dumped them in the lake. Luckily, only a small population of fish survived, because fish lead to algae, which would lead to the loss of the beautiful clear blue waters of the lake. Nearby Diamond Lake, which was once equally pristine, was not so lucky, and every summer its waters are now clouded with toxic algae.

5. Woody Guthrie sang of this mighty river, which divides Washington and Oregon. "Green Douglas firs where the waters cut through. Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew. Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue" What river did he command to "roll on"?

Answer: Columbia River

The mighty Columbia River originated from a huge inland sea that once covered much of present-day British Columbia. During the last Ice Age, the rupturing of the ice dams that held the water in resulted in perhaps the greatest floods that the earth has ever known, and carved the channels that now carry the Columbia.

This photo was taken in spring wildflower season at Tom McCall Preserve near Mosier, Oregon.

6. The largest city in Oregon, Portland has a nickname resulting from the ornamental flowers that grow particularly well there, as shown in this Portland public garden. What is this nickname?

Answer: City of Roses

Portland has been known as the "City of Roses" since 1888, when the phrase was used to publicize an Episcopal church convention. The city's first Rose Festival was held in 1907, and it has been an annual event ever since, with hundreds of events across the city such as dragon-boat races.

This picture was taken at the International Rose Test Gardens in Washington Park in Portland, where thousands of roses bloom every spring.

7. Not as well-known as some of Portland's other tourist spots, this beautiful state park boasts the Trail of Ten Waterfalls, allowing visitors to see (and even to walk behind!) many spectacular waterfalls on a nine-mile hike.

Answer: Silver Falls State Park

The falls at Silver Falls are incredibly beautiful, and you do not have to hike nine miles to see them! The first of the falls (and one of the most spectacular,) South Falls, is just a short hike from the parking lot.

It is hard to tell from this photo, but South Falls is 177 feet high- and the trail lets you walk behind it.

8. These beautiful flowers are closely related to a shrub that is actually native to the Pacific Northwest, although the flowers of the wild shrub are not as showy. What are these gorgeous blossoms, that enliven the spring in Oregon?

Answer: Rhododendrons

The native Pacific rhododendron, Rhododendron macrophyllum, has pink blossoms. Cultivated rhododendrons come in a rainbow of colors. Azaleas are actually a type of rhododendron; you can tell an azalea from a rhododendron because it has five stamens, while rhododendrons have ten.

This photo was taken at Lake Sacajawea in Longview, Washington.

9. This volcano is not in Oregon, but most people associate it with the state, because it severely affected Portland when it blew its top in 1980. What volcano is it?

Answer: Mt. St. Helens

On May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted, and the skies over Portland became darkened with ash. The explosion created a crater in the volcano top over a mile across. Mt. St. Helens is located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Skamania County, WA, about 50 miles northeast of Portland.

10. Mushrooms are big business in Oregon. Due to the moist climate, wild fungi flourish, and there is money to be made in collecting edible mushrooms. Which wild fungus is ***not*** commercially harvested in Oregon?

Answer: Portobellos

Portobellos are strictly domestic. All of the others grow abundantly in Oregon. The matsutake is a prized delicacy in Japan, and Oregon's truffles are second only to those of Europe in their aroma.

The mushroom in this picture is probably of the genus Cortinarius and thus not edible. It's pretty, though!

Source: Author crisw

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Nature of Oregon Trivia Quiz

Oregon- land of greenery, beauty, and natural wonders galore. Come with me on my trip to Oregon, see the photos I took, and find out what you know about nature in the Beaver State!

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