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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 13, 20253 min read


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 30, 20255 min read


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 22, 20251 min read


Wild Rose
The Rose Family gives PEI so many beautiful and delicious plants: Apples, Blackberries, Chokeberries, Chokecherries, Raspberries,...
katemacquarrie22
Nov 27, 20243 min read


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


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


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


Sea Lavender
PEI’s salt marshes are among our most under-appreciated habitats: they’re wet, smelly, buggy, and have few showy,...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 25, 20242 min read


Swamp Dodder
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...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 18, 20242 min read


Japanese Beetles
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI. Summer is peak season for...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 14, 20243 min read


Soapwort
No soap? No problem! This PEI plant has you covered. Meet Soapwort (aka Bouncing Bet, Saponaria officinalis ). I learn new things about...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 11, 20242 min read


Spotted Water-Hemlock
I’ve been introducing you to members of the Carrot Family (Apiaceae) including the edible Wild Carrot (aka Queen Anne’s Lace, Daucus...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 4, 20242 min read


Serviceberry
What’s not to like about early August on PEI? There’s sandy beaches and warm water, new potatoes and garden vegetables, and wild fruit...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 31, 20242 min read


Pinesap
Every group has its oddballs and plants are no exception. Most are content to follow the crowd and make food from sunlight, but a few...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 24, 20242 min read


Spreading Dogbane
You can probably think of examples where a famous and showy family member outshines their equally talented kin. If you’ve heard of...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 21, 20242 min read


Beach Wormwood
If you’ve been enjoying PEI’s famous beaches during this hot weather, you may have noticed a distinctive silvery-green plant standing out...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 17, 20242 min read


Sweet Fern
Picking my favourite PEI plant would be a near-impossible task, but picking the most aromatic one is easy: that honour goes to Sweet Fern...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 14, 20242 min read


Pineapple Weed
Summer on PEI is short and it’s important to take time to stop and smell the flowers. This month I’ll be profiling some Island plants...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 7, 20242 min read


Sea Milkwort
Fields and forests may come to mind when you think about PEI’s wildflowers, but our coastlines have beautiful flowering plants you may...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 3, 20242 min read


Black Locust
There’s a line in E.B. White’s book Stuart Little that I love “…orchards so old they have forgotten where the farmhouse is”. I often...
katemacquarrie22
Jun 30, 20243 min read
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