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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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Spruce Bark Beetle
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...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 233 min read
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Morel vs. "False Morel"
When I think ‘spring mushrooms’, Morels and False Morels are the first that come to mind. We have both here on PEI and – despite the...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 203 min read
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The Story of PEI Part 12: 20th Century Land Use Change
Over the winter, we’ve explored the story of PEI starting with formation of its bedrock 300 million years ago, through the last ice age,...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 163 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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The Story of PEI Part 11: Introduced Game Birds
Last week, we looked at how and why mammals such as Raccoon and Skunk were introduced to PEI in the early 1900s. These were among our...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 94 min read
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Red Tree Brain Fungus
Fall may be peak mushroom season on PEI, but fungi can be found at all times of year. One that I’m seeing a lot right now is the...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 62 min read
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The Story of PEI Part 10: Introduced Mammals
Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored how and why PEI lost its large, native mammals during the 18th and 19th centuries. But in the...
katemacquarrie22
Apr 23 min read
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Abuzz about Bees
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Today’s topic is courtesy of...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 305 min read
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The Story of PEI Part 9: Land Clearing
In the last few posts, we’ve looked at aspects of PEI’s forests and wildlife hundreds of years ago, before European settlement. In each...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 263 min read
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It's not a skull, it's a synsacrum!
Reading wildlife tracks is one way to know who’s been around, but our neighbours of other species leave other signs as well. There’s...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 232 min read
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Lichens and Rocks
At the end of the last Ice Age about 12,500 years ago, PEI would have looked more lunar than Earthly: no vegetation, just clay, silt,...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 192 min read
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Ruffed Grouse Tracks
There are two types of tracks I am seeing everywhere on PEI this year: Snowshoe Hare (featured March 3), and the topic of today’s post:...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 163 min read
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The Story of PEI Part 8: Plagues of Mice
Last week, we looked at some of the large mammals that once roamed PEI, including Black Bears, Lynx, Walrus, and Caribou. You may think...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 123 min read
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Meadow Vole (aka Field Mouse) Tracks
If it looks like a Mouse and squeaks like a Mouse it. . . might be a Vole! This week, we explore Vole tracks and sign, and look at Voles’...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 93 min read
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The Story of PEI Part 7: Early Wildlife
Last week, we explored the PEI landscape of three centuries ago, around the time Europeans arrived. Those pre-settlement forests and...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 53 min read
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Variations on Hare Tracks
No matter where I go on PEI this winter – town or country – the most common tracks I see are from Snowshoe Hare. It’s been like this for...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 23 min read
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The Story of PEI Part 6: Early Forests
This winter we’ve been looking at PEI’s natural history – the story our landscape tells about itself. So far, we’ve read chapters written...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 263 min read
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Recognizing Red Squirrel Tracks
This winter’s frequent bouts of fresh snowfall have made for some ideal tracking conditions. While Red Squirrels are very common, it’s...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 232 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
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