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Bloodroot
There are several plants not yet known to grow wild on PEI that I suspect are here somewhere. Although those in the photo have been...
katemacquarrie22
17 minutes ago3 min read
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Magnolias
PEI’s Magnolia trees ( Magnolia spp.) are putting on an amazing show right now (Photo 1). You’re likely familiar with the beautiful...
katemacquarrie22
May 143 min read
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Sedum
On PEI, spring foraging offers up lots of leafy greens and tasty roots, but there are crunchy succulents on the menu, too. Today’s...
katemacquarrie22
May 73 min read
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Trout Lily
Some of PEI’s rarest and most interesting plants are a bit like your favourite seasonal foods: you can only find them for a short time...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 304 min read
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Seasonal Wild Foods - April
If you’re counting the days until you can enjoy vegetables fresh from your garden, I have good news: many of PEI’s wild greens and root...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 274 min read
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Coltsfoot
Some of the Island’s earliest spring wildflowers appear on their plants before the leaves. From the subtle blooms of Red Maple and Beaked...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 133 min read
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New Book Coming Soon!
My new book, Wild Foods of Prince Edward Island is coming out this spring and now available for pre-order. Published by The Acorn Press,...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 221 min read
182 views
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Burls vs. Galls
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Winter is great time to spot...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 53 min read
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Wild Rose
The Rose Family gives PEI so many beautiful and delicious plants: Apples, Blackberries, Chokeberries, Chokecherries, Raspberries,...
katemacquarrie22
Nov 27, 20243 min read
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British Soldier Lichen
PEI’s autumn leaves are gone, but there are still bright splashes of colour in the landscape. One of my favourites is the tiny but...
katemacquarrie22
Nov 20, 20243 min read
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Labrador Tea
Fall is a great time to collect some of PEI’s aromatic wild leaves, perfect for spicing up food and drink during the cold winter months....
katemacquarrie22
Nov 13, 20243 min read
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Wintergreen
PEI’s gardens and farm fields may be winding down for the year, but there’s still lots of fresh wild food in the landscape. It’s the...
katemacquarrie22
Nov 6, 20243 min read
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Old Man's Beard Lichens
In honour of Halloween, let’s look at something that can make PEI’s trees look decidedly eerie: Old Man’s Beard Lichens ( Usnea spp.)...
katemacquarrie22
Oct 30, 20243 min read
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Red-osier Dogwood
If you’ve attended any of my wild plant workshops, you’ll have heard me say “don’t eat white berries”. While there is one edible, native,...
katemacquarrie22
Oct 16, 20243 min read
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A Few Toxic Fruits
PEI’s landscape is full of wild fruits right now, but not all are edible. Let’s look at two of the species I’ve been getting a lot of...
katemacquarrie22
Oct 9, 20243 min read
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Butternut
When you hear the words ‘endangered species’, I’m betting animals like Piping Plover and Monarch Butterflies – or maybe Elephants and...
katemacquarrie22
Oct 2, 20243 min read
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Highbush Cranberry
It’s been a great growing season on PEI, and our fall fruits are showing the result. Wild berries are everywhere right now, including the...
katemacquarrie22
Sep 25, 20243 min read
250 views
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Gingko
Humans think in decades, forests operate in centuries, but the land’s timeframe spans hundreds of millions of years. We can read...
katemacquarrie22
Sep 18, 20243 min read
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Wild Raisin
Fall and fresh food go hand in hand. PEI’s backyard gardens are full of vegetables, our farm fields are ready for harvest, and wild fruit...
katemacquarrie22
Sep 11, 20242 min read
60 views
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Beechdrops
Of PEI’s roughly 1,500 species of plants, only seven – less than one half of one percent – have no chlorophyll and can’t make food from...
katemacquarrie22
Sep 4, 20242 min read
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