PHOTO GALLERY

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TEST YOUR NATURE IQ!  

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

    Can you name this dune system that is the largest in North American and just a couple of hours away? 

    A)    Dumont Dunes

    B)    Kelso Dunes

    C)    Rasor Dunes

    D)    Algodones Dunes

    Can you identify the location of this trailhead?

    A)    Backside (southern face) of Martinez Mountain, Anza-Borrego side

    B)    Top of the Cove, La Quinta, CA

    C)    Backside (northern face) of Mt. San Gorgonio, high desert approach

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

Can you identify these rounded pellets often "deposited" in the early morning?

A)    Big Horn scat

B)    Cottontail scat

C)    Jackrabbit scat

D)    Desert Tortoise scat

Typically a late spring/early summer bloomer, what pea-family plant does this photo show? 

A)    Smoke Tree

B)    Indigo Bush

C)    Krameria

D)    Desert Mistletoe

E)    Spanish Needle

(Click on images to check your answers) 

Darkling Beetle, Clown Beetle, Pinacate, Stink Bug...no matter what name you recognize this little guy under, most desert residents have encountered the somewhat comical appearance of an Eleodes species. But what do Eleodes species feast on?

    A)    Carrion

    B)    Decaying vegetation 

    C)    Competitor's young

    D)    Animal waste

(Click on images to check your answers) 

The striking Datura plant gets a bad rap because of reckless, individual misuse of its highly toxic properties. It is a plant that is best appreciated eyes on--hands off. What part(s) of this plant is toxic?

    A)    Fruit

    B)    Flower

    C)    Leaves

    D)    Roots

    E)    All parts

   

    Can you identify the subject of this close-up photo?

    A)    Mummified Pleistocene horse

    B)    Baleen from a whale

    C)    Pine texture

(Click on images to check your answers) 

Which statement is TRUE about hummingbirds?

    A)    They cannot walk

    B)    They cannot fly backwards

    C)    They cannot hover

    D)    They will nest inside birdhouses

This mushroom recently made headlines because:

    A)    It is the largest organism on Earth

    B)    It attacks the Ahlziemer's gene genetically implanted in rats

    C)    It is being harvested as "living-insulation" for green homes

 (Click on images to check your answers)

This plant is not only the most abundant plant on the desert floor, it is also our desert's only evergreen. It was used by most all Native American groups who shared its range. The leaves and stems feel sticky when pressed between your fingers.  Do you recognize this ancient resident?

A)    Greasewood

B)    Rain Bush

C)    Pharmacy Plant

D)    Creosote Bush

    This is a macro image of? 

    A)    a plant leaf

    B)    the belly scales of a snake

    C)    a turtle plastron

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

    While exploring a rocky, canyon oasis during an early morning hike,        

    you encounter this large rattler. Can you identify this species? 

    A)    Speckled rattlesnake

    B)    Western rattlesnake

    C)    Western Diamondback rattlesnake

    D)    Red Diamondback rattlesnake

    Can you identify the cause of this appearance found on many opuntia cactus 

    A)    The plant's cottony seed.

    B)    Parasitic insects.

    C)    Cactus secretions that protect it from direct sun damage.

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

The California Fan Palm was an important resource for the ancient Cahuilla. Which of the following are examples of how this plant was utilized by the Cahuilla of the past?

    A)    Fronds were used in constructing shelter.

    B)    Palm "bark" was chewed for the water stored inside.

    C)    Toothed leaf stems were used in raking cactus seed       

            during the drying process.

    D)    Date pits were sometimes used in rattle making.

In keeping with environmental awareness, this week's quiz asks: approximately how many human inhabitants do you believe our planet currently supports? 

    A)    60,000,000

    B)    600,000,000

    C)    6,600,000,000

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

You've spotted a pair of completely black birds, each about the size of a hawk, with wedge-shaped tail feathers. You hear a "swish" sound from their wing beat as they fly overhead.  You are certain you've just seen a..

    A.    Raven

    B.    Crow

    C.    Grackel

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

    This reptile usually gives hikers a surge of exhilaration when spotted along local trails. What makes it

    unique in our desert ecology?

    A)    It is venomous.

    B)    It is an herbivore.

    C)    This animal is a protected species.

    Most of us are familiar with the loud, buzzing, summer song of the male cicada. 

    Which of the following statements is true?   

    A)    They are related to the cochineal insect

    B)    They live underground for 3 to 17 years, feeding on plant roots

    C)    They thrive in temperatures up to 117 °F

    D)    Adults feed on plant sap

    E)    All of the above

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

    Where is the location of this photo? 

    Bonus question: Can you name the facility that         

    marks this busy corner today?

    Triple bonus: Can you name the wildflower in this 

    photo that is important to the white-

    lined sphinx moth?

     If this were a wild tortoise, what's wrong with this picture?

    A)    Its claws are too long for a wild tortoise.

    B)    Its scutes are too small to be healthy.

    C)    Someone is holding a wild tortoise.

    D)    It is missing its gular horn.

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

    Study the picture to the left. What is this an image of? 

                A)     A snowflake

                B)     An enhanced photograph showing the cross-section of a cactus stem

                C)      A fractal known as the Koch star

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

The Sphinx Moth (family Sphingidae) is also called the Hawk Moth and the Hummingbird Moth because of its hovering, swift flight patterns and wingspans ranging from 2 to 8 inches. Many species pollinate flowers while sucking their nectar with a proboscis (feeding tube).

In some sphinx moth species, the proboscis length can exceed:

A)    6 inches

B)    8 inches

C)    10 inches

This is a microscopic image of:

A)    the surface cells of a cactus

B)    snake skin

C)    eyes of an ant

 (Click on images to check your answers) 

While hiking in the mountains you discover an animal skull.  You notice the eyes face forward, and you can see the teeth that remain are clearly designed for biting and tearing meat. 

You conclude you have come across the remains of a carnivore. Which skull best represents your find?

A)    the skull on the left

B)    the skull in the middle

C)    the skull on the right

A topographic map illustrates the shape of the land and is an important item to include in your backpack when hiking. You should always carry a topo-map of the area in which you are hiking or camping, and be familiar with how to read it correctly. 

Which of the following features is NOT illustrated on this portion of a map?

    A)    a gentle slope

    B)    a saddle between two summits

    C)    a valley

    D)    a depression

    E)    a steep slope                                   

                                                                                        (Click on images to check your answers) 

    While hiking near valley hills/mountains you come across a burrow that is approximately the size of a quarter, and goes straight down. It belongs to a: 

    A)    Desert tarantula

    B)    White-footed pocket mouse

    C)    Burrowing owl

    D)    Kangaroo rat

Palm Canyon is a popular destination for nature lovers and students of all ages. Which is an example of just one reason why this canyon is so important:

    A)    It is home to the highest concentration of bobcats monitored in the Santa Rosas.

    B)    It contains the most diverse population of reptiles documented in a square mile area.

    C)    It is currently the largest, natural stand of native California Fan palms in the world.

   This silver-leaf shrub is the second most abundant plant in our    

   desert. Its common name is:

   A)    White Sage

   B)    Black Sage

   C)    Brittlebush   

   D)    Desert Lavender 

 (Click on images to check your answers)    

Do you recognize this constellation?

   A)    Pleiades

   B)    Taurus

   C)    Cassiopeia

This view is of:    

A)  Round Valley at the top of the P.S. Aerial Tramway

B)  Idyllwild valley      

C)  Big Bear back country-west view

(Click on images to check your answers)   

   This is a close up of:

   A) a swallow tail butterfly cocoon

   B) a plant gall growth

   C) the fruit of a wild cucumber vine

TRUE or FALSE: Dead and even fossilized scorpions can fluoresce under UV light like their living counterparts.

    How does this "glow" help living scorpions? 

    A) It serves as a UV sensor

    B) It attracts insects that see in the UV spectrum, right to these ambush predators

    C) It serves as a warning to other scorpions and predators

 (Click on images to check your answers)   

Mallow plant species were used by the ancient Cahuilla Indians for:        

     A)  medicinal purposes                                

     B)  spiritual enhancement

     C)  as a food condiment

What is so unique about roadrunner track compared to other birds?

A)  It's "X" shape

B)  It's size

C) Feather marks around the track

 (Click on images to check your answers)   

Wildflower season in the desert can be an explosion of color and beauty. Some desert areas are known for their carpets of springtime favorites.

Can you identify the location of this field full of Desert Sunflower, Fremont Pincushion, Purple Sand Verbena, and Arizona Lupine taken in 2005?

A)  Joshua Tree National Park, Cottonwood entrance off of  Interstate 10, service road.

B)  Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, off-road trails, north of  Badlands

C)  Varner Road, north of Interstate 10, between Date Palm Dr.  and Ramon Rd.