I get lots of questions about where to find certain PEI plants, but three species top the list: Common Elderberry, Serviceberry, and today’s subject: Mugwort (aka Common Wormwood Artemisia vulgaris). Unlike Elderberry and Serviceberry, Mugwort is not native to PEI. It was brought to North America as a culinary and medicinal plant in the 1600s and has been well-established on the Island since at least the mid-1800s. Mugwort is a perennial that spreads primarily by rhizomes

Today’s PEI plant is one that I’ve received many questions about, along with a request to do a post on it. So, meet Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamera)! If these flowers remind you of tomato or potato blossoms, give yourself a gold star. Bittersweet Nightshade is in the same family (and the same genus) as those domestic crops, and is related to other familiar species including eggplant, peppers (both sweet and hot), gogi berries, and tobacco. Bittersweet Nightshade

This week, we’re looking at a couple of edible non-native wildflowers that are in season right now. First up: Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca). Tufted Vetch is a member of the Pea Family (Fabaceae) with clusters of purple flowers at the ends of stalks that arise from the leaf axils. (If you look closely at a flower cluster in person, you’ll see that each tiny blossom resembles a little bird with its beak against the flower stalk). Vetch leaves are like narrow versions of garden

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

If I had to design vegetation for a movie set on an alien planet, I’d take inspiration from this PEI plant: the odd-looking Rough Cocklebur ( Xanthium strumarium ). Cocklebur gets its name from spine-covered fruit (burs) that look a bit like Burdocks but have two distinctive beaks at the end (inset photo). Like Burdock ( Arctium minus ), Cocklebur’s Velcro-like fruits are distributed by hitch-hiking on animals, including humans. Those burs also float, allowing them to be r

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. I recently received this...

PEI has various species of tall, white-flowered plants growing in our roadside ditches. Many are members of the Carrot Family ( Apiaceae...

We often associate Asters with fall, but PEI has members of this family that flower in spring and summer too. Right now, the bright...

PEI has several yellow wildflowers that are sometimes mistaken for Dandelions. In early spring it’s Coltsfoot; in summer, it’s the...

Lupins aren’t the only colourful wildflower decorating the Island’s roadside ditches in June. Dame’s Rocket ( Hesperis matronalis ) is...

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...

On PEI, it’s common to mistake any tall, white, roadside flower for Queen Anne’s Lace (aka Wild Carrot). But there are at least eight...

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

PEI’s landscape is full of wild fruits right now, but not all are edible. Let’s look at two of the species I’ve been getting a lot of...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI. Summer is peak season for...

The Carrot Family (Apiaceae) is among the most interesting groups of plants on PEI. It includes commercially important vegetables and...

In early spring, flashes of green in the PEI landscape can be welcome reminders that longer days and warmer weather are returning....

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a serious invasive species in North America that should be eradicated wherever it is found. It is...

Earlier (https://www.pei-untamed.com/post/cow-parsnip-and-giant-hogweed) I posted about two superficially similar PEI plants that people...

It’s great to see people becoming increasingly aware of PEI’s invasive species. Unfortunately, I’m seeing more and more cases of people...