Many of PEI’s wild animals are more often heard than seen – none more so than Cicadas. Most of us immediately recognize their...

Some PEI plants are revered while others are reviled, but today’s plant is both. Meet Common Milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca ).   Our Island...

Too often, I hear people say that PEI is geologically dull. Sure, our bedrock is all sedimentary sandstone (except for the igneous Iron...

Have you ever run into an acquaintance you haven’t seen in a long, long time? The person looks unfamiliar at first, then something dawns,...

PEI’s dry summer has made for poor mushroom hunting so far. My go-to spots have yielded just a handful of edible Chanterelles and Meadow...

The Mint Family ( Lamiaceae ) is well represented on PEI, with about 25 species known in the wild (along with a few hybrids and...

Have you noticed any purple-flowered plants in your lawn or nearby areas? On PEI, most of these – Creeping Charlie, Hemp Nettle, or...

PEI’s midsummer roadsides are lined with colourful wildflowers. White, yellow, gold, pink, purple, and brown are common, but blue stands...

PEI has various species of tall, white-flowered plants growing in our roadside ditches. Many are members of the Carrot Family ( Apiaceae...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Apologies to my fellow...

I’m intrigued by colourful fungi and have a special fondness for purplish ones. I was thus very happy to come across these Violet-toothed...

We often associate Asters with fall, but PEI has members of this family that flower in spring and summer too. Right now, the bright...

This time of year, beautiful wildflowers are blooming in all of PEI’s habitats. Many people miss out on seeing those that thrive in bogs,...

PEI has several yellow wildflowers that are sometimes mistaken for Dandelions. In early spring it’s Coltsfoot; in summer, it’s the...

There are a few PEI plants that I’m always especially happy to find. One of those is the lovely Partridgeberry ( Mitchella repens ).  ...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI! Over the past week, I’ve gotten...

PEI has showy wild plants that outshine any domestic blooms I can think of. One flowering now is the lovely Blue-flag Iris ( Iris...

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...

Lupins aren’t the only colourful wildflower decorating the Island’s roadside ditches in June. Dame’s Rocket ( Hesperis matronalis ) is...

PEI has so many beautiful wild plants. One of my favourites is Black Chokeberry ( Aronia melanocarpa ), a shrub that has it all: lush...