We humans tend to divide insects into two camps. There are those we don’t like (Earwigs, I’m looking at you!), and those we do, with no better example than Fireflies. I captured this lone Firefly’s flash at my home in central PEI recently and thought it’s time we took a closer look at these interesting insects! Fireflies are beetles, not flies, and not all have ‘fire’ – many species are daytime-fliers that use pheromones, rather than light, to communicate. The night-flying,

When we think about wildflowers, coastal areas often get overlooked in favour of fields, forests, and roadsides. But that means missing some of PEI’s loveliest native plants, including Starry False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum). Starry False Solomon’s Seal is a relative of Wild Lily-of-the-Valley, which I introduced you to earlier this spring. If you guessed these plants are members of the Lily Family (Liliaceae), you’d be sensible, but wrong! The genus Maianthemum

It’s great to see landscaping with native plants becoming mainstream. Many nurseries now carry at least some native species and seed mixes, while PEI’s Rural Beautification Society has added a Native Planting & Biodiversity category to its popular annual competition. The Island has many common, native plants that make beautiful additions to backyard gardens. One example: Alternate-leaved Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia). PEI has four native Dogwoods, which are all easy to spot

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. I’ve been receiving photos of deformed Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) flowers from around the Maritimes, including this one from Tara Matheson here on PEI. The cause is a fungus, Taphrina confusa. Let’s take a look! Normal Chokecherry flowers have five white petals and grow in finger-like groups, called ‘racemes’ (inset photo). Once pollinated, each flower will form an

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

Right now, wildflowers are doing an amazing job of brightening up PEI’s spring landscape. Even bogs – habitats that go unnoticed most of the year – are putting on glorious displays of colourful Rhodora (Rhododendron canadense). Islanders are lucky enough to live in one of the few places in the world where we can enjoy Rhodora’s amazing spring show. While many of PEI’s native plants are also common in central and western Canada, or extend down the Atlantic coast of the US, R

Perhaps it’s because there are so few blue plants, animals, or fungi in nature that they seem to really catch our attention. That is definitely true of this beautiful Oil Beetle (aka Short-winged Blister Beetle, Meloe angusticollis), photographed in eastern PEI earlier this month by Carla McKie. Oil Beetles get their name from oily, orange droplets that ooze from their joints when the beetles are threatened. That substance is haemolymph (insect blood), and it also gives the

Late summer and fall may be peak mushroom seasons on PEI, but spring has fungi to find, too! While checking my go-to spots for Morels this week, I found lots of these Entolomatoid Mushrooms (Family Entolomataceae). I often ignore LBMs (little brown mushrooms) as being too hard to identify and above my skill level. However, as I gain experience in mushroom identification, I’ve started looking for clues that point to the Family. If you’ve attended any of my workshops, you’ll

They’re baaaack! Here in Central PEI, the first Hummingbird and the first June Bug arrived within a couple of days of each other last week. Most people look forward to seeing the tiny birds far more than they do the shiny insects, but what exactly are June Bugs anyway? Let’s take a look! “June Bug” is a general term used to refer to many different species in the Scarab Beetle Family (Scarabaeidae). The ones found most often on PEI are the native Phyllophaga anxia, although at

One of the nicest treats of a PEI spring is harvesting your own fresh, local food after a winter of stored root vegetables and imported fare. Fiddleheads, dandelions, cat-tails, dock, watercress, and magnolia – along with pheasant back and morel mushrooms if you can find them – are all in season right now. But if you’re looking for something new, give Wild Lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense) a try. Followers of my blog may remember that I introduced you to this plant

PEI has so many wild foods on offer in May: fiddleheads and nettle greens, burdock and primrose roots, morel mushrooms and pheasant’s backs, and so much more! Cat-tails (Typha latifolia) are versatile and easy to use, but it’s good to know how to tell them from a toxic plant of the same wet habitats: Blue-flag Iris (Iris versicolor). Cat-tails and Iris aren’t hard to tell apart in summer and fall, but it can be easy to confuse them where they grow side-by-side in spring (ma

There’s one PEI plant that most people are very familiar with, but few have seen growing in its natural habitat: Eelgrass (Zostera marina). This is how most of us know Eelgrass: washed up along the shore. Eelgrass actually grows in extensive beds offshore as well as in our bays and estuaries, and – despite what you may think – it’s a true flowering plant and not a seaweed. Eelgrass has roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and vascular tissue (structures that move water and nutr

It’s almost conifer-tip season, that time of year when we can enjoy the tasty, Vitamin-C-rich, new growth of our needle-leaved trees. While all of our conifer trees are edible, PEI does have one poisonous, native conifer shrub. Can you tell which of the needles in the photo are tasty and which are toxic? When it comes to conifer tips, White Spruce (Picea glauca) is the species most commonly used in the kitchen, as well as my personal favourite (you can find more details in

The sound of Canada Geese is one of my favourite signs of spring – “goose music”, as Aldo Leopold called it. Their northerly migration is also marked by the return of feeding signs in PEI’s bays and estuaries, and some related behaviour that may surprise you! You may think of Canada Geese as herbivores that feed on aquatic vegetation and grasses in spring and summer, and the remnants of agricultural crops in fall. But, like many herbivores, Canada Geese are not strict veget

As a botanist, I confess to teasing birders from time to time: groups of people flocking to the same spot to see an unusual species – really? But then spring rolls around and I eat my words as I make my annual pilgrimage to Miscouche to see Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris). Marsh Marigolds are neither unusual nor rare on PEI (and they aren’t Marigolds). This member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae) is found in wet, mucky soil, and so is more common in Prince and Kin

Spring is a time of renewal, including for PEI’s wildlife. Early breeders such as Coyotes, Foxes, and Ravens have their young now, and others such as Snowshoe Hares, Striped Skunks, and Red Squirrels will follow soon. Our migratory birds are also returning and will make starting a family job one. This is an important time of year for wildlife, but it’s also the time of year when well-meaning people can do the most harm. Seeing young animals in spring and summer is normal an

It’s that time of year when many people are anticipating the first flowers of spring, without realizing that some are already here! We’ve looked at two of my favorite precocious plants – Willow and Beaked Hazelnut – but I also have a soft spot for Red Maple ( Acer rubrum ), flowering now. When we think of flowering trees, it’s often Apples, Cherries, and Serviceberries that come to mind. These showy species follow the usual order of things: leaf out first, then flower. But

Some of PEI’s early spring wildflowers are showy, in-your-face sorts. Others are tiny, delicate, and go unnoticed to all except to those specifically looking for them. Today’s plant is in the latter category, and one of my favourites: Beaked Hazelnut ( Corylus cornuta ), flowering now. Hazelnut is a common, native understorey shrub found in mixed forests and along streams and trails across the Island. It stands out in the landscape this time of year, with finger-like male c

This is a great time of year to spot a PEI fungust that's best known as a disease of Cherry trees: Black Knot ( Apiosporina morbosa ). Black Knot fungus forms distinctive, black galls on stems and branches of our native Pin Cherry and Chokecherry, as well as ornamental Cherries and Plums. While it’s unattractive, reduces fruit production, and may kill the infected branch, Black Knot doesn’t usually kill the entire tree unless the infection is very severe. Within those black

One of PEI’s first botanical signs of spring are Pussy Willows ( Salix spp.). We have more than a dozen different Willows on the Island, but only one – Salix discolor – officially has the common name ‘Pussy Willow’. Willows are notoriously difficult to tell apart, but don’t worry: all our species are commonly called Pussy Willows this time of year so, right now, you can’t go wrong! Those soft, fuzzy balls are the male flower buds, called catkins. (Female catkins are sim