A. In two kinds of places. The choice depends on if it’s daytime or nighttime. (I assume here a cold, snowy winter where the deer is. Are.)
At night, deer tend to sleep near coniferous (“kuh-NIFF-er-us”) trees. (Coniferous trees you might know include pines, firs, spruces and hemlocks. A usual spot is next to a trunk under thick, low, sheltering branches. The branches serve as a roof and a blanket. They keep out the wind, slow down how fast heat gets lost and help the deer save energy. A key for a deer to survive winter is to save energy.
During the day, deer sleep more in the open, away from deep, dark woods, a lot of times on a hill facing south or west. Why: To be in the sun. The sun’s heat makes them warm. Or at least not as cold.
The technical term for both places is bed sites. Deer may “bed” — lie down, sleep, or just hunker down and relax — at times throughout the day or night.
Long winter’s nappily,
Twig
For details, to ask Twig a question, and/or to receive the column free by mail or e-mail, contact Kurt Knebusch, CommTech, OSU/OARDC,1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691, knebusch.1@osu.edu, 330-263-3776.
NDA sponsors sixth annual poster contest
Nebraska
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture Jan. 12 announced the theme for the sixth annual Nebraska Department of Agriculture--Agriculture Week in Nebraska Poster Contest. The contest is open to all Nebraska students in the first through sixth grades. This year's theme is "Nebraska Agriculture: Growing the Good Life."
"Agriculture is our state's number one industry, and this poster contest allows teachers and students an opportunity to have an open discussion about agriculture in their classrooms," said NDA Director Greg Ibach. "We've learned that this contest has spurred teachers to invite farmers and ranchers into their classrooms, allowing students to ask questions and get more involved. Some teachers have even incorporated field trips to local farms as a way to help their students learn more about agriculture."
The entry deadline for the contest is March 2, with the winners announced during National Agriculture Week (March 15 to 21).
The contest is broken down into three separate age groups:
--First and second grade students
--Third and fourth grade students
--Fifth and sixth grade students
The winning entries will be featured on the NDA website, as well as in promotional materials and other publications.
"We encourage teachers, parents, 4-H, and FFA members to get involved in helping to educate Nebraska's youth about the importance of the agricultural industry in our state and for those youth to participate in this year's contest," said Director Ibach.
Contest rules, official entry forms, and additional information is available by calling Christin Kamm at 402-471-6856, by e-mailing christin.kamm@nebraska.gov, or by logging into the "Kids Page" located on the NDA homepage at www.agr.ne.gov.
Science Quiz
Happy New Year, Sci4Kids fans! See how much you've learned this year, with Dr. Watts's 2008 Amazing Ag Quiz!
1) Which of these sentences about trap grease is true?
A. It's useless. B. It smells like perfume.
C. It could be used to make biodiesel.
D. It's delicious on salads.
C. Trap grease is the grease that forms when you cook. It gets flushed down the drain when you do the dishes, but restaurants and food companies, which have lots of dishes, trap it in their drains before it can clog the sewers. ARS scientists are investigating how to turn it into biodiesel.
2) Which of these items do you need to bring to a patent office if you want to patent a new invention?
A. A short write-up describing the invention. B. Your best friend. C. A lucky charm. D. Snacks--Sometimes these meetings last a long time.
A. It's not necessarily a bad idea to bring a friend for support, and a lucky charm or a snack won't hurt. But they won't help nearly as much as a short description. You'll also need to bring background information, drawings, models or pictures of the invention and a one-sentence description.
3) What causes the disease sudden oak death?
A. Old age. B. A fungus-like microorganism called Phytophthora ramorum . C. A ferocious tree-cutter called Philip Ramon. D. Sudden oak sniffles.
B. Sudden oak death is a devastating disease caused by Phytophthora ramorum. P. ramorum infects over 30 plant species, including rhododendron, maple and honeysuckle.
4) What's the difference between "hard" and "soft" water?
A. Hard water is difficult to drink. Soft water is easy. B. Hard water is rough like sandpaper. Soft water is silky and smooth.
C. Hard water makes fewer bubbles. Soft water makes lots of suds.
D. Hard water comes from a bad neighborhood. Soft water is elitist and lazy.
C. An easy test to determine whether your home uses hard water is to wet a bar of soap and try to work up a lather. If the soap makes lots of suds, then the water is soft, meaning it doesn't have a lot of minerals. Hard water will only make a few bubbles, because it has high amounts of minerals.
5) What is a "Mormon cricket?"
A. A cricket that attended Brigham Young University. B. A grasshopper from Mormon, California. C. A kind of katydid. D. A complex, but popular, ball game played by two teams of 11 people each.
C. The Mormon cricket looks like a grasshopper, but it's neither a grasshopper nor a cricket. It's a similar insect called a katydid. It lives in dry environments in the western United States.
6) What unusual treatment did an ARS scientist subject a group of ticks to?
A. He took them to a fancy restaurant. B. He gave them a bath. C. He bought them ballet tickets.
D. He gave them a makeover.
B. One ARS entomologist wanted to know if putting clothes in a washing machine was a good way to get rid of ticks. So he put some in the washing machine with a load of clothes. Many of the ticks survived the adventure, leaving the washing machine alive and clean. But none survived an hour in the dryer at high heat.
7) Which of these jobs do insects do for ARS researchers?
A. Firefighter. B. Aroma therapist. C. Miller. D. Test subject.
D. Phorid flies could be called fire ant fighters. Potato beetles are tested to see which chemical aromas they prefer (to help scientists develop bug traps). And armyworm moths have been tested in flight mills. But "test subject" is really the best answer. All of these insects help scientists run tests to improve their knowledge.
8) Grapes have a gene called "Gret1." What does it do?
A. Get lost in the DNA with brother gene Hans1. B. Cause color mutations.
C. Make grapes grow to the size of footballs.
D. Turn grapes into raisins.
B. Gret1 is a gene that causes color mutations in grapes, which is why they come in a variety of colors, from dark purple to red to green. Another gene, called VvmybA1 is involved in determining grape color.
9) Which of these locations would NOT be an ideal home for protozoa?
A. A cow's stomach B. A swimming pool.
C. Deep right field.
D. The Atacama Desert.
A. This was a tricky question. Technically, peas can be used for ALL of these things. But MOST of the peas that U.S. farmers grow are sold as a protein-packed feed for farm animals.
10) What does a "hydrologist" study?
A. Hydro, Oklahoma--a small town in the center of the state.
B. Coffee, its flavors and its cost.
C. Water, its properties and its behavior.
D. The Hydra--the multi-headed monster of Lake Lerna in Greek mythology.
C. Hydrologists study where water can be found and the cycle of its movement. This includes how it reaches the earth through precipitation and how it travels over, through or underneath the land.
11) How long does it take plant breeders to breed a new cultivar?
A. 10-15 days. B.10-15 weeks.
C. 10-15 months.
D. 10-15 years.
D. Breeding a new cultivar is a complicated process that requires multiple crossings. It can take 10 to 15 years.
12) A photograph has a whitish-grey background. The object in the foreground is varying shades of brown and appears to be fuzzy, like dog hair. Little yellow flecks are trapped in the hairs. What is it?
A. A welcome mat.
B. A honey bee.
C. A chimpanzee with dandruff.
D. A furry gold mine.
B. Sometimes things look different when you take a closer look. The yellow flecks are small bits of pollen. Honey bees help pollinate a lot of important agricultural crops.
13) Which of these pests might eat your breakfast?
A. The moptop bagel Beatle.
B. The wily cantaloupe fly.
C. The greater yogurt moth.
D. The lesser grain borer.
D. Bugs like the lesser grain borer and the red flour beetle enjoy eating grains. If they have the chance, they will definitely eat your breakfast cereal.
14) ARS scientists are working with a wasp called Trichogramma deion because of its eating habits. What does this wasp eat for breakfast?
C. These wasps eat eggs--moth eggs! That's important because some moths eat cereal and other grains that humans enjoy. These wasps are too tiny to hurt you and they won't eat cereal, plus they'll make sure that moths don't eat your cereal either.
15) Which of these events did NOT occur within the lifetime of the oldest living pear tree in the United States?
A. The pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
B. The Civil War.
C. Women won the right to vote.
D. The people of the United States elected the country's first African American president.
A. The Endicott pear tree was around in the 1630s and it's still alive and bearing fruit nearly 400 years later. The Declaration of Independence, the Civil War and the 2008 presidential election all occurred after the tree was planted. But the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620.
16) Which of the following is NOT a desirable characteristic for urban trees?
A. A weak immune system.
B. Strong branches.
C. Relatively short height.
D. Foliage that protects birds and squirrels.
Answer: A. City living is tough on trees. The best trees for the job have strong branches and foliage. They're short enough to avoid power lines and they can resist bugs and tree diseases.
