Today’s PEI plant is one that I’ve received many questions about, along with a request to do a post on it. So, meet Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamera)! If these flowers remind you of tomato or potato blossoms, give yourself a gold star. Bittersweet Nightshade is in the same family (and the same genus) as those domestic crops, and is related to other familiar species including eggplant, peppers (both sweet and hot), gogi berries, and tobacco. Bittersweet Nightshade

Public awareness of invasive species is high now, but that hasn’t always been the case. In the 1800s, if a foreign plant was edible, medicinal, or pretty, it was brought to North America without much thought. As a result, we are now dealing with dozens of problematic species, including invasive Honeysuckles. Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tartarica) was introduced to North America from Asia in the 1840s as an ornamental garden shrub. The same traits that make it attractive

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

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

If you think the best thing about a PEI winter is the absence of insects, I have bad news for you: this is peak season for some of our invertebrates! Carla McKie recently sent me this photo of one the creepie-crawlies on the snow in Rock Barra, wondering what they might be. They are Winter Stoneflies, also known as Willowflies ( Taeniopterygidae Family). At first glance, you might think this is an Earwig out for a mid-winter stroll. Like Earwigs, Winter Stoneflies have six

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...

If you’re counting the days until you can enjoy vegetables fresh from your garden, I have good news: many of PEI’s wild greens and root...

One of my favourite things about winter tracking is coming across a wildlife intersection: a spot used by a variety of animals. Often...

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...

Humans think in decades, forests operate in centuries, but the history of the land around us spans eons. This winter, we’ll look at the...

This month we’re looking at some of PEI’s native wildflowers. So far, we’ve seen showy (Trilliums and Cherries), subtle (Blue-eyed...

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...

It’s fiddlehead season on PEI! If you have a favourite spot, now’s the time to check it out. If you’d like some tips on finding,...

In early spring, flashes of green in the PEI landscape can be welcome reminders that longer days and warmer weather are returning....

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

Bubbling Spring. The Healing Spring. Spirit Spring. Fountainhead. PEI’s springs are so culturally important that many have names. We may...

There’s a pretty, useful, and downright fun plant flowering along PEI’s streams right now. Meet Spotted Touch-me-not (Impatiens...

Happy New Year and welcome back to my PEI wildlife track and sign series! Let’s start the year with a group of Island animals you may...