Slideshow Quiz: Guess That Backyard Crawler!

HINT: If I were your size I could run as fast as a racehorse.

ANSWER: Black Ant. FUN FACT: Typical ants have six legs, three joints in each. They are so strong that they can carry 20 times their body weight.

HINT: My wings aren’t for flying.

ANSWER: Cricket. FUN FACT: Crickets barely use their wings for transportation purposes. Their main function is to create songs (particularly noticeable after a bad joke).

HINT: When you hear us coming, you go running!

ANSWER: Bumble Bee. FUN FACT: Most people leap up at the Bzzz of the bumblebee, but did you know that the male drone bees don’t even have stingers! It’s just the queen and her female workers you have to look out for.

HINT: I’m armed and, well, not dangerous.

ANSWER: Snail. FUN FACT: A snail’s shell is formed from secretions from the snail’s back (mantel). As the snail grows bigger, so does the shell. The shell is made up of many layers of varying thickness. That is why is get’s that coiled shape!

HINT: You often see me with a friend!

ANSWER: Dragon Fly. FUN FACT: When you think about it, don’t you see dragonflies mating far more than any other flying insect? That’s because dragonflies only have their wings for the very last stage of their life (when they mate). They are in the larvae stage most of their lives!

HINT: No way am I telling you my age.

ANSWER: Lady Bug. FUN FACT: Contrary to playground rumor, the black spots do not tell you the ladybugs age. (Sheesh. Why are ladies always so touchy about age?) Spots help deter predators, but some don’t even have spots! Ladybugs come in many colors including red, yellow, orange, pink, black, even albino.

HINT: Smelling good from head to toe…

ANSWER: Moth. FUN FACT: Moths use smelling sensors on all parts of their bodies, from their antennae to their toes (legs, rather)!

HINT: What rhymes with gill?

ANSWER: Pill Bug (Rolly Polly). FUN FACT: Pill bugs actually have gills! That is why they need to be in moist environments. If you find them in the house or porch, they are most likely toast, right?

HINT: I’m blind as a bat.

ANSWER: House Fly. FUN FACT: Sure houseflies have huge eyes, containing 4,000 lenses, but their vision is terrible (at least in our idea of vision). Their eyes are used more for detecting movement than color, shapes, etc. The secret of the swat? Sneak up slowly!

HINT: For the last time, I am NOT a spider!

ANSWER: Daddy Longlegs. FUN FACT: Another type of arachnid, like scorpions, that are true backyard-ers. Look-alikes found indoors are probably Cellar Spiders, not Daddy Longlegs.