Caption Quiz is a contest included in Forest Society News, our monthly email newsletter. (To sign up, go to our newsletter signup page.) Some recent photos, questions and answers are included below.

The Winner: Sue Wemyss of Gorham, NH

The Question: This common May wildflower, purple trillium or wakerobin (latin name: trillium erectum), has an unpleasant odor that has led to its unflattering common name "stinking Benjamin." What function do botanists think the flower's foul odor may play in the life cycle of the plant?

The Answer: Similar to rotting meat, the foul odor of the "stinking Benjamin" trillium attracts flies that help spread the flower's pollen.

The Winner: Judy Hohenadel of Milford, NH

The Question: This amphibian – a red spotted newt – visits vernal pools in April to feed on the eggs of other amphibians including wood frog eggs. It breeds in ponds and shallow lakes. What is the name of its brightly-colored terrestrial juvenile stage?

The Answer: Red eft

The Winner: Eric. D. Weinrieb of Portsmouth, NH

The Question: Approximately 40 gallons of maple sap must be boiled down to make one gallon of maple syrup. When production is complete, what percentage of the maple syrup that we pour on our pancakes is water, and what percentage is sugar?

The Answer: The final product is 33% water and 67% sugar.

The Winner: BJ Carbee of Francestown, NH

The Question: The record high January temperature on Mount Washington is 47 degrees; the record low is -47 degrees. In what year(s) did these temperatures occur?

The Answer: The record high (47) was in 1995; the record low (-47) was in 1934.

The Winner: Laura Alexander from New London, NH

The Question: Rank these five tree species in order from highest to lowest densities: Balsam fir, red oak, sugar maple, white oak, white pine.

The Answer: The correct order from highest to lowest density is white oak, sugar maple, red oak, balsam fir, white pine.

The Winner: Steve Kahl of Plymouth, NH

The Question: How much does the sale of Christmas trees, wreaths, and maple syrup contribute annually to New Hampshire's economy?

The Answer: $9,000,000

Sales of maple products average a total of $2.4 million. Estimated sales of Christmas trees and wreaths total $6.4 million.

The Winner: M. Candito.

The Question: Why do oak trees hold onto their leaves so much longer than other trees?

The Answer: Both the heavy-seeded oak and beech trees are "marcesant" and tend to take longer to form the leaf stem fall "abscission layer" the plant cells are critical to successfully dropping leaves and sealing off the leaf stem scar on the twig. It is an adaptation of northern trees.

Both oaks and beech have more of a tropical ancestry that includes cousins in Florida and the tropics that don't lose their leaves all at once in preparation for the winter time. Oak trees are relatively recent arrivals in the pollen record for New England - still rebounding into the post-glacial landscape over the most recent 4,000 years.

The Winner: Jim Stewart of Hampstead, NH.

The Question: Why do leaves change color?

The Answer: Chlorophyll, necessary for photosynthesis, gives leaves their green color. Carotenoid creates bright yellows and oranges in leaves, fruits and vegetables. Chlorophyll and carotenoid are in leaf cells all the time during the growing season, but chlorophyll covers the carotenoid during the summer, making leaves appear green, not yellow or orange. During the autumn, trees respond to the decreased amount of sunlight by producing less chlorophyll, eventually stopping chlorophyll production completely. When that happens, the carotenoid already in the leaves finally shows through.

Anthocyanins create red color in plants, including cranberries, red apples, and leaves, among others. After the autumn days become shorter and the chlorophyll breaks down, some trees then begin to produce anthocyanin, which colors the leaves red.

The Question: Approximately how many people climb Mount Monadnock each year?

The Answer: 125,000. However, we also received the following email from Monadnock Park Manager Patrick Hummel:

I don't know if it's helpful at all for your answer to your monthly quiz question, Mt. Monadnock saw about 100,000 hikers in 2007, which is closer to the current yearly average.

Some past attendance estimates peaked in the early to mid 1990's at 130,000 hikers per year, although we think those numbers are inflated. Regardless, the numbers have held steady at around 100,000 for the past decade.

Also, it has recently been uncovered that neither Monadnock nor Mt. Fuji are the most hiked mountains in the world. The title is now said to belong to Mt. Tai in China, whose attendance totals are said to be in the millions, which would put Monadnock at 3rd in the world (as far as we know).

Monadnock is still the most hiked mountain in North America and, at the very least, we know that Mt. Monadnock is the most hiked mountain in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

Thanks,
Patrick Hummel
Park Manager
Monadnock State Park

The Question: What river does the Salmon Falls River become before reaching the Atlantic Ocean?

The Answer: The Piscataqua River.

The Question: In this photo, Matt Weber, an employee at the Rock's Estate in Bethlehem, is shearing a 'Rocks Balsam' Christmas Tree. The Rocks is one of the Forest Society's 160 forest reservations, and includes a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm. How many Christmas trees are sheared at the Rocks each summer?

The Answer: Each summer, 48,000 Christmas trees are sheared at The Rocks Estate.