A Walk in the Woods Trivia Quiz

Answer: Daffodils

The daffodils actually contain a toxin for the deer, and they are the safest thing to plant. Tulips are so popular with deer they are called "deer candy", and hostas don't have a chance. They are munched down to the ground.

Answer: Black

The coral snake is also generally longer, although the range overlaps and I wouldn't use that as a reliable feature. Coral snakes have small mouths, and generally bite fingers or small targets.

Answer: Don't touch it

Poison ivy, oak and sumac can have from three to seven leaves, and contain the urushiol oil, which only requires one billionth of a gram to cause a rash. Direct or indirect contact, or exposure to the airborne oil such as in burning, is required to be afflicted.

Answer: Purple martins

Traditionally these mosquito munchers live in commercially available stacked houses or hollow gourds. They migrate but return each year to relieve the south of the bloodsucking insects.

Answer: All of these

The most dangerous thing is to appear to threaten cubs. You cannot outrun or outclimb a bear, and appearing confident and making lots of noise is what is recommended.

Answer: Run like the dickens

The prevailing wisdom is you can outrun them. You cannot "stand and fight". Although vinegar is objectionable to the bees, when you are attacked it is too late. The ultrasonic device will keep dogs away while you are stung. Hair spray and perfumes are actually attractants for these nasty pests.

Answer: Raccoon

The greatest incidence of rabies is always in raccoons, where the disease has been endemic in the United States since the 1970's. Over 50% of cases are in raccoons, about 22% in skunks, 10% in bats, and it is rare in opossums. Less than 10% of rabies occurs in domesticated animals. Raccoons are more common in the east and skunks in the west as a source of rabies.

Answer: Pit Bull type

When data from police dog bites are excluded, the most common breeds are Pit Bulls, Rottweilers , and mixed breeds in that order, and coyotes 0.3%. Third and fourth place go to German Shepherds at 9.5% and Husky types at 7.4%. If only the last decade is considered, Rottweilers are the most common killers. I have Dalmatians, and I find no reports of human deaths, at least after 1970.

Answer: Stay at least eight feet from a tree and keep your feet close together

By keeping the feet close together one minimizes the chance of a current flowing from the ground up one foot, through the body, and down the other foot. Trees act as lightning rods and should be avoided. Ninety-one per cent of strikes hit one person only, and the risk of multiple persons being hit is reduced by increasing distance between individuals. Five per cent of individuals struck will die, usually due to cardiac arrest from the electrical effects of the strike.

Answer: Orange

Orange vests and other articles are best because no game is likely to have orange coloration. In New York between 1992 and 2001, eighteen hunters not wearing "blaze" orange were mistakenly killed and none who were wearing it. It is required for hunters in many states and provinces, but isn't a bad idea for the rest of us, who are just as likely to be mistaken for game as other hunters.