Bug Wiser Trivia

Pumpkins and Bug Wiser-

  1. French explorer Jacques Cartier reported finding “gros melons” in 1584.
  2. Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family which includes cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelon, and zucchini.
  3. Pumpkins are low in fat, sodium and calories, but are high in fiber and an excellent source of vitamin A, B, potassium, iron, and protein.
  4. In October 2010, the heaviest pumpkin weighed in at 1,810 lbs 8 oz.
  5. US farmers grow 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins annually.

Ice Cream and Bug Wiser-

  1. July is National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day. President Regan signed the proclamation on July 9th, 1984.
  2. One of the most important ingredients in ice cream is air. Without air, ice cream would be hard.
  3. Immigrants on Ellis Island were served ice cream as part of their first meal in America.
  4. The world record for the largest ice cream scoop pyramid was made of 3,894 scoops.
  5. More ice cream is sold on Sunday than any other day of the week.
  6. The US enjoys an average of 48 pints of ice cream per person, per year, more than any other country.
  7. 80% of the world’s vanilla bean used for ice cream is in Madagascar.
  8. Chocolate syrup is the most popular ice cream topping.
  9. “Brain freeze” is when ice cream touches the roof of the mouth on a hot day causing blood vessels in the head to dilate.

Bug Wiser has gone batty-

  1. There are more than 1,000 species of bats in the world
  2. Bats help pollinate hundreds of plant species
  3. The smallest bat weighs less than a penny and the largest has a wingspan of up to 6 feet!
  4. Bats are the only mammal that can truly fly.

Bug Wiser and Bird Brains-

  1. Researchers have found that pigeons could distinguish between the painting of Picasso and Monet better than some art students
  2. Birds can distinguish color
  3. Some crows deliberately place walnuts on roadways, using cars as giant nutcrackers
  4. An albatross can sleep while flying
  5. Some studies suggest birds can discern 10 times more detail in sound than humans

Q&A with Bug Wiser

  • Q: According to the National Wildlife Federation®, how many people feed wild birds in the US alone?
  • A: More than 50 million
  • Q: A bird can require how many calories a day?
  • A: A bird’s diet must fuel a metabolism that can require up to 10,000 calories a day. That is equivalent to a human consuming 155,000 calories.
  • Q: What is the behavior called when birds discard low-quality foods from a feeder?
  • A: Neophibia
  • Q: Can you name the top four seeds birds most highly seek?
  • A: Black oil sunflower, white proso millet, nyjer (thistle) seed and sunflower chips.

Bug Wiser Summer Facts-

  1. Pagans called the Midsummer moon the “Honey Moon” for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice
  2. Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump
  3. Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called ‘chase-devil’, which is known today as St. John’s Wort and is still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.

Bug Wiser ‘chairs’

  1. The white water lily is the national flower of Bangladesh and the State flower for Andhra Pradesh, India.
  2. The blue water lily is the national flower of Sri Lanka.
  3. The water lily is the birth flower for July.

An All-American Bug Wiser

  1. Flag Day is always June 14th
  2. The flag is normally flown from sunrise to sunset
  3. The flag should be raised briskly in the morning and lowered slowly at sunset
  4. Do not fly a flag at night unless there is a light on it
  5. After a tragedy or death, the flag is flown at half staff for 30 days. It’s called “half staff” on land and “half mast” on a ship.
  6. The American flag is always flown at the top of the pole. Your state flag and other flags fly below it.
  7. Never, ever let your flag touch the ground.
  8. Fold your flag when storing
  9. When your flag is old and it is time to replace it, do not throw it in the trash. Old flags should be burned or buried.
  10. Someone who likes to study flags is known as a Vexillologist.

Bug Wiser’s Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar

  1. 6 C powdered milk
  2. 1 pkg (5 oz) non-instant chocolate pudding mix
  3. 1 C powdered chocolate drink mix
  4. 1 C powdered non-dairy creamer
  5. 1 C confectioners’ sugar
  6. 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Divide the mixture between two 1 qt jars. Seal and decorate as desired. These can be stored in a dry area for up to three months.

Dissolve 1/3 C cocoa mix in 1 C boiling water and enjoy!

The Irish Bug Wiser

There are four places in the US named Shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. They are Shamrock Lake, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; Shamrock, Texas; and Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia.

Santa and Bug Wiser

  1. In the US and Canada, Santa Claus is greeted with cookies and milk
  2. Sherry and mince pies are set out for him in Britain and Australia
  3. The Irish substitute Guinness for the milk
  4. Swedish children leave rice porridge