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For educators

Answer keys

Print this page. Games draw random subsets, so keys list the full pool.

Myth or Fact

  1. Goldenrod causes fall hay fever. MYTHGoldenrod pollen is heavy and insect-carried. Ragweed, blooming unseen at the same time, is the culprit.
  2. Butterfly bush is one of the best plants for butterflies. MYTHIt feeds adults nectar but hosts no caterpillars, so it produces no butterflies. Sweet pepperbush and Joe Pye weed do both.
  3. Tropical milkweed is fine to plant in New York because frost kills it. MYTHIt stays green into fall and can delay monarch migration and concentrate the OE parasite. Plant common, swamp, or butterfly milkweed instead.
  4. Most native bees do not live in hives. FACTAbout 70 percent nest alone in the ground and most of the rest in hollow stems. Honey bees, the hive builders, are not native.
  5. Cutting down a tree-of-heaven gets rid of it. MYTHCutting triggers dozens of root suckers. It needs a cut-stump or basal bark treatment, then removal.
  6. Monarch caterpillars can only eat milkweed. FACTMilkweed is their sole host plant. No milkweed, no monarchs.
  7. Spotted lanternflies can bite and sting. MYTHThey are planthoppers with sucking mouthparts for plant sap. They cannot bite or sting people.
  8. Leaving dead stems and leaves in the garden over winter helps pollinators. FACTHollow stems house small bees, leaf litter shelters butterfly pupae, and seed heads feed goldfinches. Cut back in April.
  9. Japanese barberry thickets hold more Lyme-carrying ticks than native shrubs. FACTStudies in Connecticut found several times more infected ticks in barberry stands. Removing it is tick control.
  10. Double-flowered coneflowers feed pollinators as well as the wild type. MYTHThe extra petals usually replace the nectar-bearing disk florets. Straight-species coneflowers get many times more visits.
  11. Earthworms are native to Long Island. MYTHGlaciers removed native earthworms; every worm here is introduced. The Asian jumping worm is the destructive one.
  12. Oaks support more caterpillar species than any other North American plant. FACTOver 500 species in the Northeast, which is what feeds nesting songbirds.
  13. Pheromone traps are a good way to control Japanese beetles. MYTHThey attract more beetles than they catch. Knock beetles into soapy water instead.
  14. Hummingbirds are the main pollinators of cardinal flower. FACTBees cannot see red well; ruby-throated hummingbirds carry cardinal flower pollen on their foreheads.
  15. You should collect milkweed seed from nature preserves to spread the plant. MYTHNever collect in preserves or parks. Collect from your own garden, or buy local-ecotype seed.
  16. Violets in a lawn are a weed with no wildlife value. MYTHViolets are the only host plant for fritillary butterflies. Leave them.
  17. The Asian longhorned beetle was eradicated from Long Island. FACTAfter a 20-year effort and more than 20,000 trees removed, Long Island was declared free of it in 2019. Keep reporting.
  18. Bumble bees die in winter except the queens. FACTOnly mated queens overwinter, in leaf litter and loose soil. Spring flowers like blueberry and redbud feed them when they emerge.
  19. Milkweed sap is harmless to touch. MYTHThe latex can irritate skin and is dangerous in the eyes. Wash your hands after handling.
  20. Most invasive plants arrived by accident. MYTHMost were planted on purpose: as ornamentals, erosion control, hedges, or wildlife food. Tree-of-heaven, barberry, multiflora rose, and autumn olive were all promoted.

Who Got Here First? (arrival order)

  1. 1756 · Norway maple · Sold by John Bartram in Philadelphia
  2. 1784 · Tree-of-heaven · Planted in Philadelphia as a shade tree
  3. 1806 · Japanese honeysuckle · Introduced through a Long Island nursery
  4. 1810 · Purple loosestrife · Arrived in ship ballast on the Northeast coast
  5. 1816 · Chinese and Japanese wisteria · Imported for porch arbors
  6. 1830 · Autumn olive · Introduced as an ornamental
  7. 1847 · Japanese knotweed · Wins a gold medal as an ornamental in Europe
  8. 1860 · Oriental bittersweet · Imported for autumn decorations
  9. 1866 · Multiflora rose · Imported as rose rootstock
  10. 1868 · Garlic mustard · First recorded on Long Island as a potherb
  11. 1869 · Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth) · Escapes from a silk breeder's window in Massachusetts
  12. 1870 · Porcelain berry · Planted for its speckled berries
  13. 1875 · Japanese barberry · Seeds arrive at the Arnold Arboretum
  14. 1876 · Kudzu · Shown at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition
  15. 1919 · Japanese stiltgrass · Spills from porcelain packing crates in Tennessee
  16. 1930 · Mile-a-minute weed · Arrives in a holly seed shipment to Pennsylvania
  17. 1951 · Hemlock woolly adelgid · Found in Virginia on imported hemlocks
  18. 1960 · Callery (Bradford) pear · 'Bradford' released as a street tree
  19. 1996 · Asian longhorned beetle · Discovered in Brooklyn maples
  20. 1998 · Brown marmorated stink bug · Collected in Allentown, Pennsylvania
  21. 2002 · Emerald ash borer · Found killing ash near Detroit
  22. 2014 · Spotted lanternfly · Hatches from stone shipment in Berks County

Who Eats This? (pairs)

  • Common milkweed → Monarch caterpillarMonarch caterpillars can eat nothing but milkweed.
  • Violets → Great spangled fritillaryFritillary caterpillars feed at night on violet leaves and nothing else.
  • Spicebush → Spicebush swallowtailThe snake-mimic caterpillar eats only spicebush and sassafras.
  • White oak → 500+ caterpillar speciesOaks host more caterpillars than any other North American plant, which feeds nesting songbirds.
  • Goldenrod → Migrating monarchsSeptember goldenrod fuels the monarch migration down Long Island's shores.
  • Bee balm → Ruby-throated hummingbirdThe tubular scarlet flowers are shaped for hummingbird bills.
  • Cardinal flower → Ruby-throated hummingbirdCardinal flower is pollinated almost entirely by hummingbirds; bees can't see red.
  • White turtlehead → Baltimore checkerspotMaryland's state butterfly lays its eggs only on turtlehead.
  • Golden Alexanders → Black swallowtailBlack swallowtail caterpillars prefer it to your garden parsley.
  • Little bluestem → Skipper butterfliesAt least nine skipper species lay eggs on little bluestem.
  • Highbush blueberry → Southeastern blueberry beeA specialist bee that buzz-pollinates blueberry bells by vibrating at just the right pitch.
  • Swamp rose mallow → Rose mallow beePtilothrix bombiformis collects only hibiscus pollen.
  • Evening primrose → Sphinx mothsThe flowers open at dusk, in seconds, for the night shift.
  • Coneflower seed heads → American goldfinchLeave the cones standing and goldfinches feed on them all winter.
  • Winterberry holly → Robins and bluebirdsMore than 40 bird species eat the red berries in late winter.
  • Black cherry → Eastern tiger swallowtailBlack cherry hosts over 400 caterpillar species, including the tiger swallowtail.
  • Red columbine → Returning hummingbirdsColumbine blooms in late April, timed to the hummingbirds' arrival.
  • Mountain mint → Wasps, bees, and flies by the hundredsThe most insect-visited plant in Northeast trials.
  • Serviceberry → Cedar waxwingsWaxwings strip a serviceberry of June fruit in days.
  • Wild bergamot → Dufourea monardaeA specialist bee that collects only Monarda pollen.
  • New England aster → Last bumble bee queensOctober asters feed the queens that will found next year's colonies.
  • Buttonbush → Swallowtails and wood ducksButterflies mob the flower balls; ducks eat the seed balls.
  • Woodland sunflower → Silvery checkerspotSunflowers host about 70 caterpillar species in the Northeast.
  • Eastern redbud → Leafcutter beesThey cut neat circles from redbud leaves to line their nests.

Feed the Bird (pairs)

  • American robin → Winterberry hollyRobins strip winterberry's red fruit in late winter when little else is left.
  • Eastern bluebird → Winterberry hollyBluebirds switch from insects to berries in winter; winterberry and bayberry carry them through.
  • American goldfinch → Purple coneflowerGoldfinches work coneflower cones for seed from August into February. Leave the stems standing.
  • Black-capped chickadee → White oakA chickadee pair needs thousands of caterpillars to raise a brood, and oaks host more than any other tree.
  • Ruby-throated hummingbird → Scarlet bee balmThe tubular red flowers are built for hummingbird bills; cardinal flower and columbine work too.
  • Cedar waxwing → ServiceberryWaxwings arrive in flocks and strip a serviceberry of June fruit in days.
  • Wood thrush → Northern spicebushSpicebush's fat-rich red berries fuel thrushes on fall migration.
  • Gray catbird → Black cherryCatbirds, along with 30 other bird species, feast on black cherry fruit in August.
  • Northern cardinal → Blue vervainCardinals and sparrows eat vervain seed through fall and winter.
  • Dark-eyed junco → Little bluestemJuncos and sparrows glean little bluestem seed from the standing stems all winter.
  • Baltimore oriole → ServiceberryOrioles time their arrival to early fruit like serviceberry and to caterpillars on oaks and cherries.
  • Blue jay → White oakBlue jays carry and bury thousands of acorns a year, planting the next forest.
  • Eastern towhee → Highbush blueberryTowhees scratch in leaf litter under blueberry and eat the fruit in July.
  • Downy woodpecker → GoldenrodDowny woodpeckers open goldenrod galls in winter to eat the fly larva inside.
  • House wren → Sweet pepperbushWrens hunt the insects that pepperbush and other native shrubs attract, and nest in the boxes we install.
  • Wild turkey → White oakAcorns are a turkey's main fall and winter food.
  • Song sparrow → SwitchgrassSparrows shelter and feed in standing native grasses all winter.
  • Northern mockingbird → Winterberry hollyA mockingbird will defend a fruiting winterberry against every other bird in the yard.

Spot the Lookalike (the tell)

  • Tree-of-heaven (invasive) vs. Staghorn sumac (native): Sumac leaflets are toothed all along the edge and the twigs are fuzzy; tree-of-heaven leaflets are smooth with a notch at the base and smell like rancid peanut butter.
  • Oriental bittersweet (invasive) vs. American bittersweet (native): American bittersweet fruits only at the branch tips; the invader has fruit strung along the stem at every leaf.
  • Black swallow-wort (invasive) vs. Common milkweed (native): Milkweed stands upright with thick leaves and big flower clusters; swallow-wort twines, with small glossy leaves and tiny dark flowers.
  • Purple loosestrife (invasive) vs. Blue vervain (native): Vervain flowers are tiny, violet-blue, and open in a ring moving up the spike; loosestrife spikes are solid magenta.
  • Porcelain berry (invasive) vs. Virginia creeper (native): Virginia creeper has five leaflets; porcelain berry has single grape-like leaves and speckled turquoise berries.
  • Japanese honeysuckle (invasive) vs. Trumpet honeysuckle (native): The native has red tubular flowers and the top leaves fused around the stem; the invader has white-to-yellow paired flowers and black berries.
  • Multiflora rose (invasive) vs. Virginia rose (native): Native roses have pink flowers and straight thorns; multiflora rose has clusters of small white flowers, hooked thorns, and fringed stipules.
  • Norway maple (invasive) vs. Sugar maple (native): Snap a leaf stem: Norway maple bleeds milky sap, sugar maple runs clear. Norway maple's fall color is a late plain yellow.
  • Callery (Bradford) pear (invasive) vs. Serviceberry (native): Serviceberry petals are narrow straps and the flowers have no smell; Callery pear flowers are rounder and smell like rotting fish.
  • Autumn olive (invasive) vs. Northern bayberry (native): Bayberry leaves are aromatic and not silvery beneath; autumn olive leaves are silver-scaled underneath with silver-flecked red fruit.
  • Bush honeysuckles (Amur, Morrow's, Tatarian) (invasive) vs. Spicebush (native): Spicebush twigs are solid and smell of allspice when scratched; bush honeysuckle twigs are hollow and odorless.
  • Yellow flag iris (invasive) vs. Northern blue flag (native): Blue flag is violet-blue; yellow flag is the only tall yellow iris in New York wetlands.
  • Lesser celandine (invasive) vs. Marsh marigold (native): Marsh marigold has five to nine broad petals and grows only in wet ground; lesser celandine has eight or more narrow petals and invades lawns.
  • Asian longhorned beetle (invasive) vs. Whitespotted sawyer (native): The native sawyer is bronzy with a single white spot at the top of the wing covers; the invader is glossy black with many white spots and banded antennae.
  • Emerald ash borer (invasive) vs. Six-spotted tiger beetle (native): The tiger beetle is larger, runs on bare ground, and has white spots; emerald ash borer is a slender bullet found on ash.
  • Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth) (invasive) vs. Eastern tent caterpillar (native): Tent caterpillars have a white stripe down the back and build silk tents; spongy moth caterpillars have blue and red dots and no tents.
  • Common reed (non-native Phragmites) (invasive) vs. Saltmeadow cordgrass (native): Cordgrass is knee-high and forms cowlicked meadows; invasive Phragmites is a 15-foot reed with plumes.
  • Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus) (invasive) vs. Switchgrass (native): Miscanthus leaves have a white midrib stripe and silvery plumes; switchgrass has no stripe and airy golden seed heads.

Over/Under (figures)

  • Caterpillar species hosted by oaks in the Northeast: 534 species (line: 300)
  • Seeds one purple loosestrife plant can make in a year: 2,000,000 seeds (line: 500,000)
  • Milkweed floss collected by schoolchildren in WWII: 11,000,000 pounds (line: 5,000,000)
  • Year tree-of-heaven was introduced to Philadelphia: 1,784 (line: 1,850)
  • Year spotted lanternfly was first found in the U.S.: 2,014 (line: 2,010)
  • Trees removed to eradicate Asian longhorned beetle from New York: 20,000 trees (line: 5,000)
  • Pollen grains one ragweed plant releases in a season: 1,000,000,000 grains (line: 100,000,000)
  • Insect species recorded visiting common milkweed flowers: 450 species (line: 200)
  • Native bee species in New York State: 416 species (line: 250)
  • Caterpillars a chickadee pair needs to raise one brood: 7,500 caterpillars (line: 2,000)
  • Depth a kudzu root can reach: 12 feet (line: 6)
  • Distance a wild geranium flings its seeds: 30 feet (line: 10)
  • Seeds a single tree-of-heaven can produce in a year: 300,000 seeds (line: 50,000)
  • Year the first cultivated blueberry varieties were bred: 1,916 (line: 1,850)
  • Caterpillars in one spongy moth egg mass: 750 caterpillars (line: 200)
  • Average last spring frost in Syosset, NY (day of April): 18 April (line: 10)
  • Years a Japanese knotweed rhizome fragment can regrow from: 20 years dormant (line: 5)
  • Monarch sightings reported within 25 km of Syosset in 2025: 164 sightings (line: 100)

Life Cycle in Order

  • monarch

    1. Eggs (Jun, Jul, Aug)
    2. Caterpillars (Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep)
    3. Chrysalises (Jul, Aug, Sep)
    4. Adults (Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct)

  • spotted lanternfly

    1. Egg masses (Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr)
    2. Early nymphs (May, Jun)
    3. Red nymphs (Jul)
    4. Adults (Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov)

  • spongy moth

    1. Egg masses (Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr)
    2. Caterpillars (May, Jun)
    3. Pupae (Jun, Jul)
    4. Moths (Jul, Aug)