I was sent this alarming chart, which revealed just how little many children know about the natural world around them. Not just children, though. In one survey a few years back involving first-year undergraduates studying Biology at Oxford (Biology and Oxford, mark you) it emerged that only 55% of them could correctly name five British bird species, while only 12% could name five British butterfly species (and 47% could name none at all). Anyway, I’m sure the country folk round here who read Village Voices can do better than that, so here’s a more exercising seasonal quiz as a wildlife workout for the New Year. All these species have been recorded at Shingle Street. No checking on your devices, though – answers below.
Just name what kind of creatures the following are:
1 Wall, 2 Weld, 3 Bishop, 4 Flounced rustic, 5 Conehead, 6 Ram’s horn, 7 Ruff, 8 Carder, 9 Shore wolf, 10 Soprano, 11 Migrant hawker, 12 Bristly haircap.
Anything over six right is University Challenge standard. Congratulations!
Jeremy Mynott
3 December 2024
Answers: 1 Butterfly, 2 Plant, 3 Beetle, 4 Moth, 5 Cricket, 6 Snail, 7 Bird, 8 Bee, 9 Spider, 10 Bat, 11 Dragonfly, 12 Moss.
