It’s been a busy year: more than 100 educational posts on the plants, fungi, and wildlife of PEI; 79 in-person events at 25 locations across the province; and one popular new book! I sincerely thank the more than 2,000 people who attended my public walks and talks, the 17,500 who follow me on Facebook and Instagram, everyone who visits this website, and all those who took the time to like, comment, or share my posts. I’m truly grateful to each of you for supporting this work.

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Today we have an insect that people often mistake for a fungus. Meet Woolly Alder Aphids ( Prociphilus tessellatus ).   From a distance, Woolly Aphids do look like some sort of fluffy, fungal mould on the branch of a tree. But take a closer look and you’ll see that those fuzzy clusters are actually dozens – sometimes hundreds – of individual insects crowded together.   The

PEI’s shores are full of interesting finds, including holey rocks like this one. At first glance, you may think this stone was shaped by waves and tides, but the creators of these holes are biological, not physical. Rocks like this are sometimes called witches’ stones, hag stones, or adder stones, although those terms are more commonly applied only if one or more of the holes passes all the way through. According to legend, witches’ stones bring good luck by letting only good

One of PEI’s most common trees is Poplar, aka Trembling Aspen ( Populus tremuloides ). The ‘trembling’ name comes from the habit of this...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI.  I recently received this...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI! I was thrilled to get this photo...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI! Today’s topic comes from my own...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Today’s topic is courtesy of...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Winter is great time to spot...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI! Today’s topic is courtesy of...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. I’ve had a few questions about...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI.  Judging by the more than 50...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI. Summer is peak season for...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI.  I’ve been getting lots of...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI.  I’ve been getting quite a few...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI!  Over the past week or so,...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI.  This time of year, I get a...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI.  My recent post featuring...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI!  In October, I posted about...

We’ve lost our nature literacy.  Here’s why that matters. It wasn’t that long ago that just about every Islander knew how to catch a...