This fall, we’ve been exploring some of PEI’s least-common trees, including Balsam Poplar, Ironwood, and Jack Pine. Today it’s one many people haven’t even heard of: Bog Birch ( Betula pumila ).   We often think of Birch as among the majestic trees of PEI’s early forests. Nineteenth century writers told of Yellow Birch ( Betula alleghaniensis ) three to four feet in diameter, and it was said that Mi’kmaq people were able to make a six-person canoe from the bark of a single Wh

Most Islanders are familiar with Poplar (aka Trembling Aspen, featured last week), and many know of its relative, Large-tooth Aspen. But...

Most people have never seen PEI’s rarest native tree in person, and some have never even heard of it. Meet the beautiful Ironwood (...

It may not be majestic, but it’s PEI’s rarest native conifer and has an adaptation unlike any of our other trees. Meet Jack Pine ( Pinus...

There are a few PEI plants that I’m always especially happy to find. One of those is the lovely Partridgeberry ( Mitchella repens ).  ...

There are several plants not yet known to grow wild on PEI that I suspect are here somewhere. Although those in the photo have been...

Some of PEI’s rarest and most interesting plants are a bit like your favourite seasonal foods: you can only find them for a short time...

When you hear the words ‘endangered species’, I’m betting animals like Piping Plover and Monarch Butterflies – or maybe Elephants and...

Of PEI’s roughly 1,500 species of plants, only seven – less than one half of one percent – have no chlorophyll and can’t make food from...

Every group has its oddballs and plants are no exception. Most are content to follow the crowd and make food from sunlight, but a few...

June is peak wildflower season on PEI.  Over the next month, I’ll show you some of my favourites ranging from showy to subtle to...

This week, we’re looking at some of PEI’s spring wildflowers, and Violets are on today’s menu – literally! You can find these edible...

This time of year, PEI’s landscape can look a little drab. It may seem like planted Magnolias, Daffodils, and Tulips are the only showy...

Some of PEI’s natural habitats punch well above their weight – their importance far exceeds the area they occupy in the landscape....

Sites where human and natural histories meet are always interesting, and PEI’s offshore islands are great examples of this. They tell...

July is peak orchid season on PEI, and so I am always pleasantly surprised to run into one of our late-flowering species in fall. I came...

I love finding new populations of PEI’s rarest plants, and ferns are my favourite plant group. So, you can imagine how excited I was to...

I love ferns, but find the technical keys are not very user-friendly for non-botanists. So, here is my key to some of our most common...

Today’s PEI plant has a strange name and an even stranger lifestyle. Meet the Provincially uncommon Bastard Toadflax (Comandra...

What comes to mind when you think “species at risk” on Prince Edward Island: Piping Plovers? Bats? Swallows? If you said any of these,...