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100 Fall Trivia Questions and Answers

Reviewed by Stefanie Zaldarriaga, Author·Updated Oct 2026·13 min read

100 fall trivia questions and answers about the autumn equinox, changing leaves, pumpkins and apples, harvest foods, fall holidays, football season and animals getting ready for winter.

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Here are 100 fall trivia questions and answers for the season of sweaters and pumpkin patches. They run in rounds: the equinox and the night sky, why leaves change color, the harvest, fall food, the big fall holidays, football season and how animals get ready for winter, so you can play one round or the whole set.

Every question is tagged easy, medium or hard. The easy ones (Harvest Moon, leaf peeping, the V formation) suit a classroom or a family hayride; the hard ones (abscission layers, hyperphagia, the Leonids of 1833) are for the trivia-night regulars. Answers are in the key at the bottom.

  1. 1In the Northern Hemisphere, fall officially begins with the autumnal equinox in which month?

  2. 2On the day of an equinox, how do the lengths of day and night compare almost everywhere on Earth?

  3. 3The word 'equinox' comes from Latin words meaning what?

  4. 4In the Southern Hemisphere, in which month does fall begin?

  5. 5The American name 'fall' is short for which older English phrase?

  6. 6What do people in Britain usually call the season Americans call fall?

  7. 7What name is given to the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox?

  8. 8What is the traditional name of the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon?

  9. 9In most of the US, daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday of which month?

  10. 10When daylight saving time ends in the fall, clocks 'fall back' by how much?

  11. 11Which October meteor shower comes from debris left by Halley's Comet?

  12. 12Which November meteor shower produced a spectacular storm of shooting stars in 1833?

  13. 13What term describes an unseasonably warm, dry spell in mid-to-late fall, after the first frost?

  14. 14The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on which date?

  15. 15What are the hot, dry winds that blow through Southern California in fall, often fueling wildfires?

  16. 16What is September's birthstone?

  17. 17On the autumnal equinox, the sun rises almost exactly in which direction?

  18. 18On the equinoxes, the sun is directly overhead at noon along which line of latitude?

  19. 19Which harvest festival, held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, is celebrated with mooncakes?

  20. 20Which John Keats poem opens with 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness'?

  21. 21Which green pigment breaks down in fall, letting other leaf colors show?

  22. 22Which pigments, present in leaves all summer but hidden by green, produce fall's yellows and oranges?

  23. 23Which pigments, made fresh in the fall, give leaves their red and purple colors?

  24. 24Which compounds give oak leaves their brown fall color?

  25. 25What do we call trees that shed all their leaves every fall?

  26. 26What layer of cells forms at the base of a leaf's stem to seal it off before it drops?

  27. 27What is the nickname for traveling to look at and photograph fall foliage?

  28. 28Which tree, tapped for syrup in early spring, turns brilliant orange and red across Vermont in fall?

  29. 29Which tree, one of the most abundant in eastern North America, gets its name from its red flowers, twigs and fall leaves?

  30. 30Which landscaping shrub, prized for fiery red fall leaves, is now considered invasive in many states?

  31. 31Which three-leaved plant turns bright red in fall but can still give you an itchy rash?

  32. 32Which tree drops bumpy green fruits nicknamed 'hedge apples' or 'monkey balls' in fall?

  33. 33Which tree turns whole mountainsides gold in Colorado each fall?

  34. 34Which 'living fossil' tree, native to China, turns butter-yellow and can drop nearly all its leaves within a few days?

  35. 35Which conifer is unusual because its needles turn gold and drop every fall?

  36. 36What weather pattern produces the most vivid red fall colors?

  37. 37Botanically speaking, a pumpkin is which type of plant part?

  38. 38Pumpkins belong to the same plant family as cucumbers and melons. What is it commonly called?

  39. 39Which hardy flower, sold in pots beside pumpkins every fall, is nicknamed the 'mum'?

  40. 40Which is the largest US crop by production, harvested each fall across the Midwest?

  41. 41Which bean, harvested each fall across the Midwest, is the main source of vegetable oil in the US?

  42. 42Which state is famous for its late-summer and fall harvest of Hatch chiles?

  43. 43Which US state grows the most pumpkins?

  44. 44What is the name for a pumpkin carved with a face and lit from inside by a candle?

  45. 45Which winter squash's cooked flesh pulls apart into noodle-like strands?

  46. 46Which US state grows the most apples?

  47. 47'Johnny Appleseed,' who planted apple nurseries across the Midwest, was really named what?

  48. 48What fall party game has players try to catch floating apples using only their teeth?

  49. 49Roughly what share of an apple's volume is air, which is why apples float?

  50. 50Which tart red berry is often harvested by flooding the bogs where it grows?

  51. 51Which US state produces the most cranberries?

  52. 52What horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruit and vegetables is a symbol of the harvest?

  53. 53What straw-stuffed figure is set up in fields to scare birds away from crops?

  54. 54What fall attraction is a puzzle of paths cut through a field of tall crops?

  55. 55What is the name of the Celtic festival marking summer's end, considered a forerunner of Halloween?

  56. 56Which tan, bell-shaped squash with a long neck is a fall favorite for soup?

  57. 57Which spice, made from tree bark, is the dominant flavor in pumpkin spice blends?

  58. 58Which fruit is the classic choice for fall pies and fresh-pressed cider?

  59. 59Which spiced dessert made with pumpkin puree is a Thanksgiving staple?

  60. 60In what year did Starbucks introduce the Pumpkin Spice Latte?

  61. 61What fall treat is a whole apple on a stick dipped in a sticky, buttery coating?

  62. 62Munich's famous beer festival usually starts in September despite its name. What is it called?

  63. 63What is the name for apple juice that is unfiltered and left cloudy, popular at fall orchards?

  64. 64Which three-bird dish, a chicken in a duck in a turkey, did John Madden popularize on Thanksgiving broadcasts?

  65. 65Which nut is roasted on an open fire in a famous holiday song and sold by street vendors in fall?

  66. 66Which fall holiday has kids dressing up in costumes and going door to door for candy?

  67. 67Which bright orange flower traditionally decorates altars for Día de los Muertos?

  68. 68Which US holiday falls on the fourth Thursday of November?

  69. 69Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day fall on which Monday in October?

  70. 70In 2021, which president issued the first presidential proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples' Day?

  71. 71Veterans Day is observed every year on which date?

  72. 72Which red flower is worn as a symbol of remembrance around November 11?

  73. 73The NFL season traditionally opens with a kickoff game on which night of the week?

  74. 74Which NFL team has hosted a Thanksgiving Day game nearly every year since 1934?

  75. 75What fall tradition welcomes alumni back to school for a football game, parade and dance?

  76. 76What is the name for a pregame party held in a stadium parking lot?

  77. 77The phrase 'Friday night lights' refers to which level of football?

  78. 78How many points is a touchdown worth in American football?

  79. 79Which two schools played the first college football game in 1869?

  80. 80What award, presented each December, goes to the most outstanding player in college football?

  81. 81Which network first aired Monday Night Football in 1970?

  82. 82Which rivalry game between Alabama and Auburn is played each November?

  83. 83Which college bowl game, first played in 1902, is the oldest bowl game?

  84. 84Which orange-and-black butterfly migrates up to 3,000 miles each fall to winter in Mexico?

  85. 85Migrating Canada geese fly in which letter-shaped formation?

  86. 86What is the long, deep dormancy that animals like groundhogs enter for the winter called?

  87. 87What is the fall mating season of deer called?

  88. 88Which animal makes a high-pitched 'bugle' call during its fall mating season?

  89. 89Which fuzzy caterpillar, black at both ends with a rusty band in the middle, is said in folklore to predict how harsh the winter will be?

  90. 90What is it called when squirrels bury nuts in many separate spots to find later?

  91. 91What is the term for the intense eating binge bears go on in late summer and fall?

  92. 92Which fish swim upstream from the ocean each fall to spawn in the rivers where they hatched?

  93. 93Which tiny bird flies nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico on its fall migration?

  94. 94Which small mammals gather in caves and mines called hibernacula each fall?

  95. 95What is the hibernation-like winter dormancy of reptiles such as snakes and turtles called?

  96. 96Monarch butterflies spend the winter in oyamel fir forests mainly in which Mexican state?

  97. 97Which shorebird set a nonstop flight record in 2022, flying about 11 days from Alaska to Australia?

  98. 98Which North American frog survives winter with much of its body frozen solid?

  99. 99What is a male turkey called?

  100. 100What do we call birds' seasonal long-distance journey south for the winter?

Answer Key

  1. 1. September
  2. 2. Roughly equal
  3. 3. Equal night
  4. 4. March
  5. 5. Fall of the leaf
  6. 6. Autumn
  7. 7. Harvest Moon
  8. 8. Hunter's Moon
  9. 9. November
  10. 10. One hour
  11. 11. Orionids
  12. 12. Leonids
  13. 13. Indian summer
  14. 14. November 30
  15. 15. Santa Ana winds
  16. 16. Sapphire
  17. 17. Due east
  18. 18. Equator
  19. 19. Mid-Autumn Festival
  20. 20. To Autumn
  21. 21. Chlorophyll
  22. 22. Carotenoids
  23. 23. Anthocyanins
  24. 24. Tannins
  25. 25. Deciduous
  26. 26. Abscission layer
  27. 27. Leaf peeping
  28. 28. Sugar maple
  29. 29. Red maple
  30. 30. Burning bush
  31. 31. Poison ivy
  32. 32. Osage orange
  33. 33. Aspen
  34. 34. Ginkgo
  35. 35. Larch
  36. 36. Sunny days and cool nights
  37. 37. Fruit
  38. 38. Gourd family
  39. 39. Chrysanthemum
  40. 40. Corn
  41. 41. Soybean
  42. 42. New Mexico
  43. 43. Illinois
  44. 44. Jack-o'-lantern
  45. 45. Spaghetti squash
  46. 46. Washington
  47. 47. John Chapman
  48. 48. Bobbing for apples
  49. 49. About 25%
  50. 50. Cranberry
  51. 51. Wisconsin
  52. 52. Cornucopia
  53. 53. Scarecrow
  54. 54. Corn maze
  55. 55. Samhain
  56. 56. Butternut squash
  57. 57. Cinnamon
  58. 58. Apple
  59. 59. Pumpkin pie
  60. 60. 2003
  61. 61. Caramel apple
  62. 62. Oktoberfest
  63. 63. Apple cider
  64. 64. Turducken
  65. 65. Chestnuts
  66. 66. Halloween
  67. 67. Marigold
  68. 68. Thanksgiving
  69. 69. Second Monday
  70. 70. Joe Biden
  71. 71. November 11
  72. 72. Poppy
  73. 73. Thursday
  74. 74. Detroit Lions
  75. 75. Homecoming
  76. 76. Tailgating
  77. 77. High school
  78. 78. Six
  79. 79. Rutgers and Princeton
  80. 80. Heisman Trophy
  81. 81. ABC
  82. 82. Iron Bowl
  83. 83. Rose Bowl
  84. 84. Monarch
  85. 85. V
  86. 86. Hibernation
  87. 87. The rut
  88. 88. Elk
  89. 89. Woolly bear
  90. 90. Scatter hoarding
  91. 91. Hyperphagia
  92. 92. Salmon
  93. 93. Ruby-throated hummingbird
  94. 94. Bats
  95. 95. Brumation
  96. 96. Michoacán
  97. 97. Bar-tailed godwit
  98. 98. Wood frog
  99. 99. Tom
  100. 100. Migration

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