Texas Nature
& CAMN Trivia �2024
Trivia Break
Makin’ a list & checkin’ it twice...
...get to know your table-mates &
work together to come up with the most answers!
Table Question:
The TMN 2023 Re-certification
Pin, which many of you will take home today, showcases Texas’ Ecoregions.
Name as many as you can of the 11 ecoregions of Texas represented on this pin (according to the TPWD Natural Regions of Texas map) (11)
Answer:
The 2023 TMN re-cert pin is a map of Texas, featuring 11 ecoregions:
--Pineywoods
--Oak Woods & Prairies
--Blackland Prairies
--Gulf Coast Prairies & Marshes
--Coastal Sand Plains
--South Texas Brush Country
--Edwards Plateau
--Llano Uplift
--Rolling Plains
--High Plains
--Trans-Pecos
Texas' large biodiversity reflects its huge size and variations in underlying geological histories and climate. Average temperatures decrease from west to east and south to north; rainfall amounts increase, while elevations decline steadily from west to east.
Resources: TxMN.org & image credit, TPWD
Trivia Break
...for the birds
Question 1:
There are many Endangered and Threatened species in Texas. Which bird species, seen and heard here on its eponymous City of Austin property in 2023, was removed from the endangered list in 2018? (1)
Black-Capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) (1)
The Black-capped Vireo was removed from the federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in May 2018.
The BCP continues to provide habitat for this rare bird as well as the seven still-endangered species (1 songbird, 7 karst invertebrates) and 27 species of concern found on the preserve. The BCP was created to make up for other habitat that was lost, so it can never be developed and the species are protected in perpetuity.
Spring 2023 marked the first Black-capped Vireo NEST documented at the Vireo Preserve/Wild Basin in 26 years!
These properties once supported the largest known colony (over 30 territories in 1985) in Travis County. Following a steady decline, only one breeding pair remained in 1997.
In addition to the Vireo Preserve/Wild Basin, Black-capped Vireos are currently found on several other tracts within the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve.
https://www.traviscountytx.gov/tnr/nr/bcp/species#landscape
BCV info provided by Lisa O’Donnell
photo credit: top, Gary Sertich; bottom, Sheila Ellwood; side, Jim O’Donnell
Answer 1:
Question 2:
Of the nearly 360 bird species that breed in Texas, name the bird (pictured here as a fledgling) that is the only species who breed exclusively in Texas. (1)
info source: TPWD.gov
photo credit Gary Sertich
Question 2 Bonus:
In how many counties of Texas are they known to breed, according to TPWD? (1)
What natural material is typically use, in addition to Ashe Juniper strips for their nest building material? (1)
photo credit Gary Sertich
Answer 2:
Golden-cheeked Warbler (1)
(Setophaga chrysoparia) �Also the TMN 2019 Re-Certification pin.
Bonus Answer 2:
The Golden-cheeked Warbler's entire nesting range is currently confined to habitat in 33 counties in central Texas. (1)
The birds are dependent on Ashe juniper (blueberry juniper or cedar) for fine bark strips used in nest construction. Although nests may be placed in various species of trees, such as juniper, Texas oak, live oak, and cedar elm, all nests contain strips of Ashe juniper bark woven together with spider webs. (1)
source: TPWD.Texas.gov
photo credit: Sheila Ellwood
Question 3:
Name the local nocturnal nightjar that lays its eggs directly on the ground. �Nests consist of two eggs laid on the ground upon a carpet of dead leaves – like these, spotted in the Austin Area.�
The common English name serves as an onomatopoeia of its song, heard here:
Question inspiration to Gary Sertich; �sound from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2T_CoHnZyc;
photo credit: Sheila Ellwood, 6-2023
Answer 3:
Chuck-will's-widow (1)
(Antrostomus carolinensis)
The Chuck-will’s-widow is the largest nightjar in North America. It can be found throughout the piney woods of East Texas and into Central Texas.
They migrate in Texas from late March through early May and will initiate breeding soon after arriving on their breeding grounds.
Fun fact: They eat primarily insects, particularly those active at night such as moths, beetles, and winged ants, BUT, will also eat small birds and bats, swallowing them whole!
photo credit: Sheila Ellwood, 6-2023
Trivia Break
Up-close and personal...
Question 4:
Can you identify this natural item, that can be found in Central Texas? (1)
Answer 4:
Skull (1)
A recognizable characteristics of skulls seen in this close up photo are the cranial sutures - joints made of strong, fibrous tissue that hold the bones of the skull together.
Remember, as fun as it is to collect what we find in nature, Leave No Trace, principal “Leave What You Find” states: “The items we find in nature have a role to play, either in the ecosystem or the story of the landscape. Leaving what we find in place helps to preserve both...”
Bonus Question 4:
Can you name what local species this skull belonged to? (1) 🡪
Texas Memorial Museum�(TMM M-7417)
Bonus Answer 4:
Nine-banded armadillo (1)
(Dasypus novemcinctus)
The Nine-banded Armadillo is the Texas State Small Mammal and is featured on the 2014 TMN Re-certification pin.
It is believed they first wandered into Texas across the Rio Grande from Mexico in the 19th century, eventually making their way across the southeast US.
Fun Fact: The armadillo can jump 3–4 feet straight in the air if sufficiently frightened, making it a particular danger on roads.
Question 5:
Can you identify this natural item, that can be found in Central Texas? (1)
Answer 5:
Prickly Pear (1)
(Opuntia)
The Prickly Pear was selected by the Texas Legislature in 1995 to be the State Plant of Texas.
All members of the subgenus Opuntia (with flat stems) are considered the state plant.
The pads, tunas, and stems are edible.
photo by Vanessa Velazquez
Question 6:
Can you identify this natural item, that can be found in Central Texas? (1)
Answer 6:
Praying Mantis Ootheca (1)
Ootheca: a type of egg case made by any member of a variety of species including mollusks, mantises, and cockroaches.
The ootheca protects eggs from microorganisms, parasitoids, predators, and weather. The composition and appearance vary depending on species and environment.
Praying mantis egg cases can hatch dozens to hundreds of tiny mantises, all at once. They need several weeks of warm weather (to sense summer’s arrival), then they can hatch. You can spot several species of introduced and native Praying mantids in Central Texas.
Trivia Break
Everything is bigger in Texas
Question 7:
What local phenomenon is one of the largest congregations of mammals on earth? (1)
Not this congregation 🡪
Answer 7:
Bracken Cave Preserve’s matenity colony of Mexican Free Tailed Bats (1)�(Tadarida brasiliensis)
Bracken Cave is the summer home of more than 15 million of these bats, making it the world’s largest bat colony and one of the largest concentrations of mammals on earth. �
--claimed to have the fastest horizontal speed of any animal, reaching top ground speeds over 99 mph.�--flies the highest among bats, at altitudes around 3,300 m (10,800 ft).
--regarded as one of the most abundant mammals in North America. ��The Texas Legislature designated the Mexican free-tailed bat the state mammal (flying) in 1995.
sources: Wikipedia, BatCon.org
photo credit: Katherine Daniels
Question 8:
Name the largest fish in Texas? (1)
This fish is the largest species in its family, and among the largest freshwater fishes found in North America. It can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds.
map source: TPWD
Answer 8:
Alligator gar (1)�(Atractosteus spatula)
They spawn in the coastal waters and lay eggs in the floodplains.
--have gills, but unlike other species of fish, with few exceptions, they also have a highly vascularized swim bladder lung that supplements gill respiration.
--scales are not like the scales of other fishes...gar bodies are protected by inflexible and articulated ganoid scales...essentially homologous to tooth enamel, making them nearly impenetrable.
Texas Monthly; Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG Via Getty
TPWD
Question 9:
The Edwards Plateau is perhaps the most densely populated area of what mammal in the country? (1)
Not this mammal 🡪
The mammal in question can be seen everywhere from green spaces in urban communities to the most remote rangelands.
Texas is home to the more than any other U.S. state, with estimated populations ranging from 3-5 million individuals, according to TPWD.
Answer 9:
Texas white-tailed deer (1)
(Odocoileus virginianus texana)
The white-tailed deer is now the most numerous big game animal in Texas and in the United States.
As one of the most popular game animals, white-tailed deer are important to the state’s economy with deer hunting generating an estimated $1.2 billion in economic output.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is responsible for the regulation, conservation, and management of deer populations throughout the state.
photo credit: Lori Malloy
Trivia Break
All things TMN...
Question 10:
What is the Order of flying insects that includes our beloved mascot - the Dragonfly? (1)
Bonus: What is the meaning of the Greek or Latin word origin for the Order? (1)
Answer 10:
Odonata (1)
“Tooth,” it refers to their strong mandibles (1)
In what city will the
2024 TMN Annual Meeting be held? (1)
Bonus: When? (month or full date counts) (1)
Question 11:
Answer 11:
San Marcos (1)�
October 24-27, 2024 (1)
Speakers, field trips, silent auction, and more!
Save the Date to attend!
Scholarships will be available for active CAMN members.
What is the TMN Recertification Pin for
2024 going to be? (1)
What do you need to accomplish, as a
Texas Master Naturalist, to earn your
re-certification pin? (1)
Question 12:
Answer 12:
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (1)
(Crotalus atrox)
A venomous pit viper and the second largest rattlesnake in North America and Mexico, it resides in all habitats throughout Texas except the wettest areas - even on the dunes in Galveston. �A heavy-bodied snake with a triangular head with two diagonal lines on each side of the face, dark diamond-shaped patterns along the back and black and white bands just above the rattles, it is a solitary predator, most often active at night. Western diamondbacks may live up to 20 years and are a Species of Least Concern.�
Complete 40 hours of Volunteer Service (VS) & 8 hours of Advanced Training (AT) in 2024 (1)
photo credit: Chuck Foster