It’s Mushroom Monday, and if you’ve never noticed the similarities between the smell of maple syrup and that of curry, today’s species might surprise you. Meet the Curry Milkcap (aka Candy Cap, Lactarius camphoratus). Milkcaps are mushrooms that exude a milky juice (sometimes called ‘latex’) when broken or cut. I’ve written about this group before, including the edible, orange-latex Saffron Milkcaps that are common across PEI. Curry Milkcaps are small, with reddish-brown ca

We’ve looked at needle-leaved and broadleaved trees this winter but standing and fallen dead trees make enormous contributions to PEI’s forests, too! Trees die naturally from a variety of causes: old age, disease, insects, fire, weather damage, or environmental stress, among others. The death of a tree is part of the life of a forest and is necessary for the survival of everything from plants, lichens, and fungi to insects, birds, and mammals. Insects such as Bark Beet

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Winter is great time to spot...

Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, a weekly look at some of PEI’s easy-to-identify fungi. Today it’s the beautiful Purple-gilled Laccaria...