Trees are an important part of our environment and provide many benefits. They provide shade, shelter, oxygen, and food. They also help prevent soil erosion and provide habitat for birds and wildlife. Trees have long fascinated people and are the subject of many riddles and brain teasers.
Here are 105 riddles about trees to challenge your mind and test your knowledge. See how many you can get right!
Easy Tree Riddles
Let’s start with some easy tree riddles that are great for kids.
Riddle 1
What has branches and leaves but no bark?
Answer: A library.
Riddle 2
What has rings but no bark?
Answer: A telephone.
Riddle 3
What is brown, has a trunk but is not a tree?
Answer: An elephant.
Riddle 4
What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
Riddle 5
What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
Riddle 6
What has to be broken before you can use it?
Answer: An egg.
Riddle 7
I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old. What am I?
Answer: A candle.
Riddle 8
What is full of holes but still holds water?
Answer: A sponge.
Riddle 9
What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
Riddle 10
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
Medium Tree Riddles
Let’s make it a bit tougher with these medium tree riddles.
Riddle 11
What has branches and leaves but no fruit or flowers?
Answer: A family tree.
Riddle 12
What has needles but doesn’t sew?
Answer: A Christmas tree.
Riddle 13
What sheds its skin in spring but still lives?
Answer: A tree.
Riddle 14
I’m green and grow on bushes. Red is my color. What am I?
Answer: An apple.
Riddle 15
What fruit is named after its color?
Answer: An orange.
Riddle 16
What fruit likes to dance and rhyme?
Answer: A limber lime.
Riddle 17
I’m a fruit that’s brown and lumpy. Monkeys love to eat me in the jungle. What am I?
Answer: A coconut.
Riddle 18
I come from a tree but I’m not a fruit. Monkeys like to peel me and eat me. What am I?
Answer: A banana.
Riddle 19
I grow on trees in bunches and I’m black or green. People drink me for my healthy antioxidants. What am I?
Answer: Grapes.
Riddle 20
I’m a yellow fruit that’s rich in vitamin C. You can peel my skin and eat me raw. What am I?
Answer: A banana.
Hard Tree Riddles
Think you know a lot about trees and plants? Try to solve these hard tree riddles.
Riddle 21
What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
Riddle 22
What gets wet with drying?
Answer: A towel.
Riddle 23
What kind of room has no doors or windows?
Answer: A mushroom.
Riddle 24
What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it?
Answer: A teapot.
Riddle 25
What building has the most stories?
Answer: The library.
Riddle 26
What has 13 hearts but no other organs?
Answer: A deck of cards.
Riddle 27
What has a neck and no head?
Answer: A bottle.
Riddle 28
What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
Riddle 29
What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?
Answer: A road.
Riddle 30
What has a head, a tail, is brown, but has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
Riddles about Tree Parts
How much do you know about the different parts of trees? Test your knowledge with these tree part riddles.
Riddle 31
What part of the tree can fly?
Answer: The leaves.
Riddle 32
I’m green and have a wide brim but no crown. What am I?
Answer: A tree leaf.
Riddle 33
I’m rough and rigid, supporting the whole tree. What am I?
Answer: The trunk.
Riddle 34
I’m the tree’s food maker, green and leafy. What am I?
Answer: The leaves.
Riddle 35
I’m the tree’s plumbing, carrying water and nutrients up the trunk. What am I?
Answer: The roots.
Riddle 36
We’re the tree’s joints, connecting branches to the trunk. What are we?
Answer: The branch nodes.
Riddle 37
I’m the outer layer of the trunk, branches, and roots. I protect the tree. What am I?
Answer: Bark.
Riddle 38
I’m the inner transport system that carries water within the trunk. What am I?
Answer: Xylem.
Riddle 39
I’m the spongy layer between bark and wood that carries nutrients. What am I?
Answer: Phloem.
Riddle 40
I’m the tree’s reproductive organs, containing pollen or ovules. What am I?
Answer: Flowers or cones.
Riddles about Evergreen Trees
How much do you know about evergreen trees that stay green all year long? Test your evergreen knowledge with these riddles.
Riddle 41
I’m tall with prickly leaves and bear cones instead of flowers. What am I?
Answer: A pine tree.
Riddle 42
My bark rubs off in papery strips. I have flat leaves like ferns and square scaly cones. What am I?
Answer: A cedar tree.
Riddle 43
I have soft flat needles and blooms with cones that hang down. I’m used as ornamental landscaping. What am I?
Answer: A fir tree.
Riddle 44
My leaves are sharp needles, my cones hang down and I have shreddy orange bark. What am I?
Answer: A redwood tree.
Riddle 45
I have prickly leaves and bear edible blue cones. My bark has a spicy smell. What am I?
Answer: A spruce tree.
Riddle 46
My leaves look like scales and my cones are called “galbuli.” I’m used as ornamental landscaping. What am I?
Answer: A juniper tree.
Riddle 47
I’m a large evergreen tree with branches that sweep down. My cones hang and I have bitter bark. What am I?
Answer: A weeping willow.
Riddle 48
My leaves are sharp needles and my bark shreds. I’m often used as a Christmas tree. What am I?
Answer: A spruce tree.
Riddle 49
I have flat blue-green leaves. My cones are called strobili and birds love to eat my seeds. What am I?
Answer: A hemlock tree.
Riddle 50
I have awl-shaped leaves and small scaly cones. My wood is rot-resistant and insect-repelling. What am I?
Answer: A cypress tree.
Riddles about Deciduous Trees
How about deciduous trees that lose their leaves each year? Test your knowledge with these brain teasers.
Riddle 51
I’m tall with gray furrowed bark and lobed leaves that turn red in fall. What am I?
Answer: An oak tree.
Riddle 52
My leaves turn bright yellow in autumn. My fruit is green and prickly when young, brown and opened when mature. What am I?
Answer: A chestnut tree.
Riddle 53
My leaves are green on top and white hairy underneath. My fruit is filled with brown seeds that twirl down when they fall. What am I?
Answer: A maple tree.
Riddle 54
My leaves are green and my flowers are white. My fruit is sweet and good for cider. What am I?
Answer: An apple tree.
Riddle 55
My leaves are lobed and my flowers are white. My fruit is orange and round. What am I?
Answer: A peach tree.
Riddle 56
My leaves are heart-shaped and turn yellow in the fall. My nuts are sweet and prized in ice cream. What am I?
Answer: A walnut tree.
Riddle 57
I have weeping branches and heart-shaped leaves. My fruit is black and eaten by birds. What am I?
Answer: A mulberry tree.
Riddle 58
My star-shaped leaves turn bright red in the fall. My fruits are red berries made into a jam. What am I?
Answer: A dogwood tree.
Riddle 59
I have five-lobed leaves and drooping branches. My fruit is purple and enjoyed in pies. What am I?
Answer: A plum tree.
Riddle 60
My leaves are pale green and my flowers pink and white. My fruits are hairy brown pods. What am I?
Answer: A locust tree.
Riddles about Tree Types
Let’s move on to riddles about specific tree species and types. See if you can identify them from their descriptions.
Riddle 61
My leaves are long with smooth edges. My wood is used for furniture. What am I?
Answer: An alder tree.
Riddle 62
My leaves are heart-shaped with toothy edges. My seeds are eaten by birds and mice. What am I?
Answer: An ash tree.
Riddle 63
My bark is shiny gray and trunk has deep furrows. My leaves are heart-shaped with smooth edges. What am I?
Answer: A beech tree.
Riddle 64
My leaves look like a butterfly’s wings. My nuts are two-lobed and edible. What am I?
Answer: A butternut tree.
Riddle 65
I have aromatic needles and peeling colorful bark. Squirrels bury my nuts for winter. What am I?
Answer: A hickory tree.
Riddle 66
My star-shaped leaves turn purple in the fall. My bark curls and peels. What am I?
Answer: A sycamore tree.
Riddle 67
My leaves are long and green with a silvery underside. My nuts are sweet and tasty in pies. What am I?
Answer: A pecan tree.
Riddle 68
My leaves flutter in the wind. I like to grow where it’s sunny and wet. What am I?
Answer: A poplar tree.
Riddle 69
My bark is gray and rugged. My leaves are green on top and silver below. What am I?
Answer: An olive tree.
Riddle 70
My leaves are small and rounded. My bark is shiny and reddish-brown. What am I?
Answer: A cherry tree.
Riddles about Tree Products
Trees provide us with so many important products. Let’s see if you can figure out what tree products are being described in these riddles.
Riddle 71
I’m creamy white and made from compressing fibers. Great for writing and drawing on. What am I?
Answer: Paper.
Riddle 72
I’m used for building homes and furniture. I come from cut logs and am processed into boards and beams. What am I?
Answer: Timber or lumber.
Riddle 73
I’m made from tree pulp and pressed into thin sheets. I soak up spills and clean up messes. What am I?
Answer: Paper towel.
Riddle 74
I’m used to start fires and cook food. I’m made by burning wood down into charcoal. What am I?
Answer: Charcoal.
Riddle 75
I’m a sweet syrup that comes from the sap of maple trees. I’m poured on pancakes and waffles. What am I?
Answer: Maple syrup.
Riddle 76
I’m made from thin sheets of wood pressed together. I’m used in furniture, flooring and wall paneling. What am I?
Answer: Plywood.
Riddle 77
I’m a rubbery substance made from the sap of tropical trees. I’m used to make tires, gloves and elastic bands. What am I?
Answer: Rubber.
Riddle 78
I’m a sweetener made from the sap of certain palm trees. I’m used in candies, cakes and other foods. What am I?
Answer: Palm sugar.
Riddle 79
I’m a vegetable oil made from pressing the seeds and nuts from palm trees. I’m used for cooking and in soaps. What am I?
Answer: Palm oil.
Riddle 80
I’m made from the bark of trees and used to make baskets, ropes, and mats. I can be woven and braided. What am I?
Answer: Tree bark or fibers.
Riddles about Trees and Wildlife
Trees provide food and habitat for so much wildlife. See if you can solve these tree riddles about animals.
Riddle 81
We soar, glide and roost in trees. With large wingspans, we hunt by night. What are we?
Answer: Owls.
Riddle 82
We nest in holes of trees. Small and furry with bushy tails, we hoard nuts for winter. What are we?
Answer: Squirrels.
Riddle 83
We peck holes in trees to eat bugs and build our nests inside. We have sharp beaks and fluffy feathers. What are we?
Answer: Woodpeckers.
Riddle 84
We leap from tree to tree with our long powerful legs. With strong hands we swing through branches. What are we?
Answer: Monkeys.
Riddle 85
We slither up trees with our forked tongues. Cold-blooded with scaly skin, we camouflage on branches. What are we?
Answer: Tree snakes.
Riddle 86
We build large nests high up in trees. With keen eyes we hunt mice, voles and rabbits. What are we?
Answer: Hawks.
Riddle 87
With sticky paws we climb up trees and nap in tree hollows. Furry marsupials who eat leaves. What are we?
Answer: Koalas.
Riddle 88
We swing through trees and brachiate from branch to branch. Long armed apes who eat fruit and leaves. What are we?
Answer: Gibbons.
Riddle 89
With strong claws we climb trees to sunbathe on branches. Reptiles with green scales. What are we?
Answer: Green iguanas.
Riddle 90
We glide from tree to tree with our furry patagium. Bug-eyed nocturnal creatures. What are we?
Answer: Flying squirrels.
Riddles about Tree Sounds
Close your eyes and imagine you’re in a forest. What sounds would you hear? Solve these riddles about tree sounds.
Riddle 91
We chirp and twitter from branch to branch. Feathered songbirds who sing all day. What are we?
Answer: Birds.
Riddle 92
We buzz and click up in trees. Armored insects with gossamer wings. What are we?
Answer: Cicadas.
Riddle 93
We screech from high branches where we perch. Large predatory birds with hooked bills. What are we?
Answer: Hawks.
Riddle 94
We hoot and call to each other at night. Large-eyed birds who hunt rodents. What are we?
Answer: Owls.
Riddle 95
We angrily chatter and scold those who invade our trees. Small striped squirrels. What are we?
Answer: Chipmunks.
Riddle 96
We drum rapidly on tree trunks. Small black and white birds who hammer woodpecker holes. What are we?
Answer: Woodpeckers.
Riddle 97
We shriek in the canopy where we build pendulous nests. Large black birds with raspy calls. What are we?
Answer: Crows.
Riddle 98
We bugle and clash antlers in autumn. Large deer with towering antlers. What are we?
Answer: Elk.
Riddle 99
We howl an eerie wail beneath the full moon. Wild canines who hunt in packs. What are we?
Answer: Wolves.
Riddle 100
We hiss, rattle and shake our tail in warning. Venomous vipers that lurk in branches. What are we?
Answer: Rattlesnakes.
Riddles about Tree Problems
Trees face many threats and problems in their environment. See if you can identify the tree troubles in these riddles.
Riddle 101
I destroy trees by boring holes and tunnels under their bark. I have a hard shell and six legs. What am I?
Answer: Bark beetles.
Riddle 102
We web and skeletonize tree leaves, leaving them ragged with holes. Caterpillars that swarm in outbreaks. What are we?
Answer: Gypsy moth caterpillars.
Riddle 103
We’re microscopic worms that clog water-conducting tissues in trees. We’re spread by beetles and cause decline. What are we?
Answer: Pine wood nematodes.
Riddle 104
I’m a disease that kills elm trees. I’m spread by beetles and plug elm vessels. What am I?
Answer: Dutch elm disease.
Riddle 105
I’m a fungus that invaded chestnut trees in the 1900s, nearly wiping them out. Chestnut blight is my name. What am I?
Answer: Cryphonectria parasitica.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this collection of 105 tree riddles and brain teasers! Trees are amazing organisms that deserve our appreciation and protection. Next time you’re outdoors, take a moment to admire the trees around you. You might have gotten some of these riddles wrong, but trees will surely stump you with their beauty and complexity.
