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Answers from quiz on page 5 1. False. As a matter of fact, male


robins arrive north ahead of female robins so that


they can scope out


territory and fight amongst them- selves for the best spots. The females follow later and choose a mate based, in part, on his territory. (They’re also partial to a good singer with nice plumage.) 2. True. Canada geese usually


mate for life, and the young stay with the family for a year – a full migratory cycle. 3. False on two counts. Both males


and females brood and both actually lose the ability to fly, through loss of key feathers, while there are eggs in the nest. 4. True. American gold finches,


sometimes called wild canaries, spend the winter with drab olive feathers. They moult and switch to their impressive yellow display at the end of the winter, therefore a yellow gold finch is known by some as a first sign of spring. 5. False. The longest day of


the year is the day of the summer solstice; the spring and fall equi- noxes occur on the two days of the year when the sun is directly in line with the equator so that there are 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night all over the world. (There are more than 12 hours of daylight on these days, however, because the sun lights the sky before it is above the horizon and after it has set.) 6. True. Because


the earth is


constantly moving, there is only an instant when the sun and the equa- tor are perfectly aligned. The spring equinox for 2016, by the way, was on Saturday, March 19, 2016 at


11:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time. 7. True, but if you think this is the


only day of the year you can perform that feat, dock yourself one point. It takes patience and a steady hand, but you can stand a raw egg on its end any day of the year; the equinox has absolutely nothing to do with it - except, possibly, that the persever- ance of this old myth keeps people trying to stand their eggs on end on equinox day and not on other days. 8. True. Astronomically speaking,


summer is a good five days longer than winter. There are approximate- ly 94 days from the June solstice to the September equinox, and only 89 days from the December solstice to the March equinox. So no more beefing! 9. False. Crocuses – particu-


larly snow crocuses – are very early bloomers, but they can be preceded by galanthus (snow drops), helle- bores and other plants. 10. True. If a crocus is in full


bloom, snow will do it in – though, of course, the plant will survive to send up leaves and take in energy to bloom next spring. The blooms may be delicate, but these plants are determined survivors. The blooms close on cloudy days to protect them- selves from rain, and the emerging plant can telescope back into itself if the snow flies before the bloom comes out. 8-10 correct: It’s spring in your head. 5-7 correct: It’s spring in your heart. Fewer than 5 correct: Maybe there’s a little spring in your left elbow. Maybe.


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