If you’ve been travelling in central PEI lately, you’ve likely noticed a showy roadside tree with dense clusters of white flowers along the topsides of its branches – gardeners may be reminded of a giant version of the popular Bridal Wreath Spirea. This is English Hawthorne (Crataegus monogyna) and it’s having a banner year! PEI has several native species of Hawthornes that hybridize readily, making them notoriously hard to tell apart. However, our non-native English Hawtho

Public awareness of invasive species is high now, but that hasn’t always been the case. In the 1800s, if a foreign plant was edible, medicinal, or pretty, it was brought to North America without much thought. As a result, we are now dealing with dozens of problematic species, including invasive Honeysuckles. Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tartarica) was introduced to North America from Asia in the 1840s as an ornamental garden shrub. The same traits that make it attractive

Few PEI scenes are more beautiful than frosty winter mornings like the one we had last week. Under certain conditions, ice crystals coat trees, twigs, and fence lines, turning the landscape into something magical. We call this ‘hoar frost’, but there are actually two very different types of ice that cause this phenomenon. Let’s take a look! ‘Hoar’ is an old word for feathery white, like a beard. It’s an apt description for the delicate, feathery ice crystals that form true

So far this winter, I’ve had more questions about this type of track than all others combined. It seems everyone is curious about Snowshoe Hares! I get it: Snowshoe Hare tracks look like they were made by Muppets and they’re everywhere . It’s been like this for the past couple of years, and I do think 2022’s Hurricane Fiona played a role. Leaning or downed hardwoods put tasty branches and buds within reach, and fallen conifers provide useful cover from predators. The dis