Chesapeake Challenge

Who are you calling a rat? Rabbits and hares are not rodents. They are members of their own order, Lagomorpha, which includes pikas — also kno… Read Story

Sneezes from breezes: If you suffer from a pollen allergy, it is most likely from a wind-pollinated plant, which releases a profusion of polle… Read Story

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 83-page guide, Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed,… Read Story

Many animals drop everything to survive winter’s snow and cold: their body temperature, their heart rate and their breathing rate. In other wo… Read Story

A beast in bigness of a pig and in taste alike ... it hath an head like a swine ... tail like a rat [but] of the bigness of a cat. That is Cap… Read Story

Shocking! Not all fish with “eel” in their names are true eels. There are more than 800 species of true eels (order Anguilliformes). The elect… Read Story

Cold weather compromises the ability of leaves on deciduous trees to create food through photosynthesis. Their thin cells, which are filled wi… Read Story

There are more than 700 species of flatfish, several of which are regularly found in the Chesapeake Bay: hogchokers, blackcheek tonguefish, wi… Read Story

Go outside on a March night after temperatures have been in the 50s for a few days. If you are near a wet area, you are likely to hear the “lu… Read Story

It is something in the water… Winters are usually milder in the Southern Hemisphere than the Northern Hemisphere. The ocean absorbs and retain… Read Story

“Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts who stood their ground.”  — Henry David Thoreau Read Story

Hoot’s Who Here: There are 19 owl species in North America. Four of these — barn, barred, eastern screech and great horned owls — are common a… Read Story

Did you know that content weasels can purr like a kitty? Aww… And just look at those cute little critter photos. But don’t let those furry lit… Read Story

Puffers. Balloonfish. Blowfish. Blow toads. Bubblefish. Globefish. Swellfish. Sugar toads. Spiny boxfish. Read Story

Love them, love them not: Sunflowers (genus Helianthus) are part of the daisy (Asteraceae) family. Fear of sunflowers is called helianthophobi… Read Story

English colonists were quick to take advantage of whales visiting the Chesapeake Bay. Processing the carcass left a ton of whale blood and bit… Read Story

Humpback whales are occasional visitors near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. If you took a time machine back 10 million to 14 million years a… Read Story

Over the years, Bay Journal quizzes, columns and articles have often encouraged people to plant species that attract birds, butterflies, bees … Read Story

Going crazy trying to think of things for you and your family to do while riding out the coronavirus at home? Here are crafts made from everyd… Read Story

Striped bass live most of the year in the ocean, but migrate to freshwater to spawn. The word used to describe these fish is anadromous. Other… Read Story

Striped bass or rockfish? Call ‘em what you want, this fish is delish! Sink your teeth into this quiz. Answers are below. Read Story

Snow was reported on the ground of all 50 states for the first time on Feb. 12, 2010. Here are some snowy questions to ponder while shoveling … Read Story

Good things come in small packages. This adage certainly applies to what may be one of the Chesapeake’s most overlooked marine creatures: sea slugs.  Read Story

Take this quiz to gather pearls of wisdom about oysters. Answers are below. Read Story

Many people will be stuffing their stomachs with oyster dressing this Thanksgiving. Here is an oyster quiz to stuff your brain. Answers are below. Read Story

Bat Week is celebrated the last week in October. The last night in October is Halloween. What do these two things have in common? Bats play an… Read Story

White-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats in North America since it was first documented here in 2006–07. The disease has been particula… Read Story

Here are the names of some plants and animals that are fun to say out loud. Match them with their description. Answers are below. Read Story

Ever been in such a rush that you said, "After I eat, I have to fly?" These birds have you beat. They capture and eat their prey on the fly. H… Read Story

The ruby-throated hummingbird, which eats in midflight, is the most widespread of all hummingbird species. How widespread is your knowledge ab… Read Story

The mud flats, waters and shores of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers are home to more than 100 species of benthic or “bottom-dwelling” worms.… Read Story

Soil is home to thousands of organisms, ranging in size from microscopic bacteria to larger animals like the ones listed here. Can you match t… Read Story

Oysters, which grow on reefs, play an important role in filtering the Chesapeake Bay's water. But oyster reefs also provide habitat for a larg… Read Story

Let’s call it a night. For many, this means the day’s activities are done and it’s time for rest. Yet for many of Earth’s inhabitants, activit… Read Story

Did you ever wonder what goes on in an animal’s brain or body while it is sleeping? Take this quiz to learn about a few animals’ sleeping habi… Read Story

If you want to learn more about the North American river otter — or test how much you already know — you otter take this quiz. Answers are below. Read Story

“Look” at the animal, plant or mineral in each of these lists. Three share a common trait that the fourth does not. Can you figure out which o… Read Story

For some, October is the month to dwell on the odd and unusual. In each list here, three of the items have at least one thing in common. You a… Read Story

Here are 10 scrambled words related to the bald cypress, along with a clue to their identities. Stuck? All of the information you need is in t… Read Story

The September Bay Naturalist column is about the bald cypress. How much do you know about this tree? Take this quiz to find out. Answers are below. Read Story

Several Atlantic bottlenose dolphins showed up off Cove Point, near Solomons, MD, at the end of April. Since its launch last summer, Chesapeak… Read Story

It’s summer, and humans aren’t the only mammal tourists visiting the waters of the Chesapeake. Will you be lucky enough to see an Atlantic bot… Read Story

How much do you know about orchids? Test your knowledge with this quiz. Answers are below.  Read Story

It’s June, when prom dates and mothers of the brides and grooms are bedecked with spectacular corsages, many of them featuring orchids. The or… Read Story

The facts listed here are no flights of fancy. Each describes a bird found in the watershed at some point of its life. Can you match them up? … Read Story

When people say that someone eats like a bird, they usually mean that the person eats very little. But, in some ways, the assumptions behind t… Read Story

Did you know that water in a stream or river must fall at least 5 vertical feet to be classified as a true waterfall? Here are some other wate… Read Story

April showers bring… If flowing waterfalls popped into your head, you are correct! Perhaps matching each waterfall to its description will whe… Read Story