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

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

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

Today’s PEI plant is one that many of you will be familiar with. This time of year, the scent of its flowers and sound of bees buzzing...

Let’s start the day with a quiz: which PEI animals can be found in saltwater, freshwater, and on land? If you guessed snails, give...

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...

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’...

Last week, we explored the PEI landscape of three centuries ago, around the time Europeans arrived. Those pre-settlement forests and...

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,...

So far this winter, we’ve explored the formation of the Island’s sedimentary sandstone, fossils that can be found within it, a unique...

PEI has experienced many ice ages over its long history, but the landscape we know and love today was shaped by the most recent – the...

The Rose Family gives PEI so many beautiful and delicious plants: Apples, Blackberries, Chokeberries, Chokecherries, Raspberries,...

PEI’s salt marshes are among our most under-appreciated habitats: they’re wet, smelly, buggy, and have few showy,...

Few things say PEI more than the expanses of red, ripple-marked sand on our shores at low tide.  One of my favourite things about those...

The beautiful shades of green in PEI’s landscape are thanks to the 99.5% of our plants that photosynthesize – they make their own food...

No soap? No problem! This PEI plant has you covered. Meet Soapwort (aka Bouncing Bet, Saponaria officinalis ). I learn new things about...

If you’ve been enjoying PEI’s famous beaches during this hot weather, you may have noticed a distinctive silvery-green plant standing out...

Fields and forests may come to mind when you think about PEI’s wildflowers, but our coastlines have beautiful flowering plants you may...

Springtime on PEI provides an amazing selection of edible wild plants. From tasty greens like Dandelions, Fiddleheads, and Spruce Tips to...

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...