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Spruce Bark Beetle
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI! Today’s topic comes from my own...
katemacquarrie22
2 days ago3 min read
9 views
0 comments


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 305 min read
26 views
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The Story of PEI Part 7: Early Wildlife
Last week, we explored the PEI landscape of three centuries ago, around the time Europeans arrived. Those pre-settlement forests and...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 53 min read
26 views
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Variations on Hare Tracks
No matter where I go on PEI this winter – town or country – the most common tracks I see are from Snowshoe Hare. It’s been like this for...
katemacquarrie22
Mar 23 min read
25 views
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The Story of PEI Part 6: Early Forests
This winter we’ve been looking at PEI’s natural history – the story our landscape tells about itself. So far, we’ve read chapters written...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 263 min read
37 views
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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 221 min read
157 views
1 comment


Beaver Tracks
It’s hard to find near-perfect examples of tracks from terrestrial mammals, let alone from semi-aquatic ones. That’s why I was thrilled...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 93 min read
23 views
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Deer Mice
Just like us, PEI’s wildlife has been busy getting ready for winter. And just like us, our neighbours of other species use various...
katemacquarrie22
Dec 4, 20243 min read
101 views
3 comments


Wild Rose
The Rose Family gives PEI so many beautiful and delicious plants: Apples, Blackberries, Chokeberries, Chokecherries, Raspberries,...
katemacquarrie22
Nov 27, 20243 min read
51 views
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Labrador Tea
Fall is a great time to collect some of PEI’s aromatic wild leaves, perfect for spicing up food and drink during the cold winter months....
katemacquarrie22
Nov 13, 20243 min read
181 views
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Wintergreen
PEI’s gardens and farm fields may be winding down for the year, but there’s still lots of fresh wild food in the landscape. It’s the...
katemacquarrie22
Nov 6, 20243 min read
26 views
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Old Man's Beard Lichens
In honour of Halloween, let’s look at something that can make PEI’s trees look decidedly eerie: Old Man’s Beard Lichens ( Usnea spp.)...
katemacquarrie22
Oct 30, 20243 min read
26 views
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Willow Pinecone Galls
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. I’ve had a few questions about...
katemacquarrie22
Oct 23, 20242 min read
44 views
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Fly Agaric
Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at some of PEI’s easy-to-identify fungi. Today’s mushroom is large, showy, common, and...
katemacquarrie22
Oct 20, 20243 min read
57 views
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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
39 views
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A Few Toxic Fruits
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...
katemacquarrie22
Oct 9, 20243 min read
74 views
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Highbush Cranberry
It’s been a great growing season on PEI, and our fall fruits are showing the result. Wild berries are everywhere right now, including the...
katemacquarrie22
Sep 25, 20243 min read
216 views
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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
59 views
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Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillars
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI. Judging by the more than 50...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 28, 20243 min read
54 views
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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
29 views
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