Today’s fall flowering plant proves that you don’t need to be big to be showy: meet the small and beautiful Common Eyebright (Euphrasia nemorosa). Common Eyebright is native to Europe but was first recorded in Canada in 1792, and discovered in the US about 50 years later. Although this plant does have traditional medicinal uses, Eyebright’s arrival to this continent is thought to have been accidental rather than intentional. Today, Common Eyebright is found in grassy area

As fields of grain ripen across PEI, you may have noticed a similar, though smaller, plant growing along roadsides, coastlines, and trails. Although this plant hangs out in human habitats and looks like it may have escaped from farms or gardens, it’s actually a native species: meet Foxtail Barley (Hordeum jubatum). Like our agricultural grains, Foxtail Barley is a member of the grass family (Poaceae). It’s in the same genus as the commercial Barley you may enjoy in breakfas

Welcome to Insect Appreciation Days, celebrated from June 8 – 13th annually, thanks to the Entomological Society of Canada. And what better insect to profile than PEI’s most commonly-reported moth, the Virginia Ctenucha (Ctenucha virginica)! First, what’s up with that name? Ctenucha (ten-OOO-sha) comes from a Greek word for ‘comb’, and refers to the feathery, comb-like antennae of the male moths. (The individual shown here is a female, with more wiry, less feathery antennae

In Part 1, we looked at the important ecological roles of PEI’s salt marshes. Today, we explore their considerable cultural and...