Dear Readers, there are lots of things out there that are poisonous – in other words, if you eat them they will make you ill. The beautiful adder in the photo above isn’t poisonous, but it is venomous (though it’s only likely to be dangerous if you stand on it in your stockinged feet). Have a look at the pairs of photos below. Which one is poisonous, and which one isn’t? One mark for correctly identifying the toxic one out of the pair, with a further two marks up for grabs if you can identify the plants and fungi shown.
I will publish the answers and the scores next Friday (19th March) so get your answers into the comments by 5 p.m. UK time on Thursday 18th March if you want to be marked. I will unapprove any answers in the comments so that the people who come afterwards aren’t influenced but I’m not always notified by the system instantly, so you might want to write your answers down first and stick to them if you don’t want to be swayed by other people.
Onwards!
- Which of these berries is poisonous, a) or b)?
1) a)
1) b)
2) Beautiful fungi, but which can you eat and which will kill you?
2) a)
2) b)
3) Two pretty yellow shrubs, but which one could make you sorry that you ever saw it?
3) a)
3) b)
4) Bulbs, eh. But which one wouldn’t you want to mistake for an onion?
4) a)
4) b)
5) One of these is edible. One of them will kill you. But can you tell which is which?
5) a)
5) b)
6) Common in gardens, but rare in the wild. One of these is sometimes known as the most poisonous wild plant in Britain, but which one?
6) a)
6) b)
7) Lovely green leaves, but which are edible?
7) a)
7) b)
8) Pretty as a picture, but which one is poisonous?
8) a)
8) b)
9) Even some of our commonest weeds are poisonous, but which ones?
9) a)
9) b)
10) And finally, it’s sometimes the sap that will harm you, especially if you get it in your eye. Always be extra careful after handling which of these plants?
10) a)
10) b)