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

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

PEI’s flowering trees and shrubs are putting on a spectacular display this year. Right now, members of the Rose Family – Apples,...