COUNTRY PUZZLES
Test your knowledge of the countryside with our crossword and quiz.
1. Herons begin displaying courtship during February. Where are the birds most likely to build their nests or ‘heronries’? a) In trees b) In chimneys c) In burrows d) In barns 2. What is the name for the smell of rain? a) Petrichor b) Ranisfarus c) Falsicum d) Nesh 3. Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne on 6 February, 1952, but where was she when she heard the news? a) In bed b) Kenya c) Scotland d) Australia 4. The pancake race in Olney, Buckinghamshire, has been taking place on Shrove Tuesday since which year? a) 1445 b) 1706 c) 1911 d) 1967 5. What are women traditionally meant to wear to propose on 29 February? a) Gold jewellery b) White flower in their hair c) Scarlet petticoats d) Nothing 6. Botanist Agnes Arber, born 23 February, 1879 was the first woman to be awarded what? a) A Nobel prize b) Gold medal of the Linnean Society of London c) A damehood d) The Marsh Award for International Plant Conservation 7. In Old English, February was sometimes known as Kale-monath, meaning what? a) Curly month b) Cabbage month c) Early month d) Cold month 8. According to medieval folklore, seeing a sparrow on Valentine’s Day means you were going to marry who? a) A farmer b) A sailor c) A clergyman d) A jester 9. Which animal never appears in a Shakespeare play by the name that we know it today? a) Weasel b) Horse c) Snail d) Badger 10. For how long can common toads live? a) 3 years b) 5 years c) 10 years d) 40 years 11. Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, who died 6 February, 1783 having designed over 170 parks in his lifetime, was appointed King George III’s Master Gardener at Hampton Court at what age? a) 26 b) 37 c) 48 d) 58