PEI has wildflowers that are beautiful, edible, and ecologically important. Today we have an example that’s all three, and flowering now: Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium)! Fireweed can be found across the Island, blooming in vacant urban lots, along rural roads and fields, and among forests impacted by 2022’s Hurricane Fiona. While it gets its name from an ability to recolonize land following wildfire, it doesn’t need fire to appear: any disturbance will do. Fireweed i

Some PEI plants are inextricably linked with people – not only in how the species arrived here, but also in their ongoing social and cultural value. I can think of no better example than the Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris). Lilacs are not native to North America but were among the earliest flowers brought by European settlers. Considering the harsh conditions and limited space on ships crossing the North Atlantic in the 17th century – not to mention the utilitarian worldvie

The Rose Family gives PEI so many beautiful and delicious plants: Apples, Blackberries, Chokeberries, Chokecherries, Raspberries,...

I’ve been enjoying the first berries of the season here on PEI. No not Wild Strawberries, though a quick glance at a handful might fool...

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...

Elderberries are one of my favourite wild foods: abundant, easy to harvest, versatile, delicious, and beneficial! You can read more...

If I had to choose my favourite wild food, I think it would be Common Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis). This plant is abundant, easy to...

The Wood Sorrels are among my favourite wild greens (Photo 1). You can read more about them in the Wood Sorrel post in the Plant (and...

It’s conifer tip season on PEI! The soft, bright green, new growth on members of the Pine Family (Pinaceae) is both edible and packed...

White Spruce is one of the most common trees on the Island and can be found almost everywhere: in fields, hedgerows, and forests; along...

Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is the poster child for edible spring greens, with good reason: it’s everywhere, hard to mistake...