Right now, wildflowers are doing an amazing job of brightening up PEI’s spring landscape. Even bogs – habitats that go unnoticed most of the year – are putting on glorious displays of colourful Rhodora (Rhododendron canadense). Islanders are lucky enough to live in one of the few places in the world where we can enjoy Rhodora’s amazing spring show. While many of PEI’s native plants are also common in central and western Canada, or extend down the Atlantic coast of the US, R

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

The sound of Canada Geese is one of my favourite signs of spring – “goose music”, as Aldo Leopold called it. Their northerly migration is also marked by the return of feeding signs in PEI’s bays and estuaries, and some related behaviour that may surprise you! You may think of Canada Geese as herbivores that feed on aquatic vegetation and grasses in spring and summer, and the remnants of agricultural crops in fall. But, like many herbivores, Canada Geese are not strict veget

As a botanist, I confess to teasing birders from time to time: groups of people flocking to the same spot to see an unusual species – really? But then spring rolls around and I eat my words as I make my annual pilgrimage to Miscouche to see Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris). Marsh Marigolds are neither unusual nor rare on PEI (and they aren’t Marigolds). This member of the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae) is found in wet, mucky soil, and so is more common in Prince and Kin

PEI’s bird tracks come in five different forms. So far this winter we’ve looked at two: game bird (featuring Ruffed Grouse and Ring-necked Pheasant) and classic (aka ‘anisodactyl’, illustrated by a Bald Eagle). Today we look at the third type: webbed (aka ‘palmate’), with ducks as our example. The basic structure of webbed tracks resembles that of game birds, with three long toes pointing forward and one short toe pointing back. However, in this case, the three front toes a

Pop quiz: what’s the largest winter wildlife track you’ll find on PEI? Coyote is our largest animal, so that would be a reasonable – but wrong – guess. Snowshoe Hare’s hind feet are pretty big, but not the largest. The honour goes to an animal you may not have thought of: the Bald Eagle. When identifying bird tracks, toe arrangement is a helpful starting clue. Here we see three long toes pointing forward and one long toe pointing back, in what’s called the classic (aka ani

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Today we have an insect that people often mistake for a fungus. Meet Woolly Alder Aphids ( Prociphilus tessellatus ). From a distance, Woolly Aphids do look like some sort of fluffy, fungal mould on the branch of a tree. But take a closer look and you’ll see that those fuzzy clusters are actually dozens – sometimes hundreds – of individual insects crowded together. The

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

Have you ever run into an acquaintance you haven’t seen in a long, long time? The person looks unfamiliar at first, then something dawns,...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Apologies to my fellow...

This time of year, beautiful wildflowers are blooming in all of PEI’s habitats. Many people miss out on seeing those that thrive in bogs,...

PEI has showy wild plants that outshine any domestic blooms I can think of. One flowering now is the lovely Blue-flag Iris ( Iris...

Finding snakes is one of my favourite springtime activities. Cooler weather means they spend more time sunning themselves in the open,...

My new book, Wild Foods of Prince Edward Island is coming out this spring and now available for pre-order. Published by The Acorn Press,...

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

The beautiful shades of green in PEI’s landscape are thanks to the 99.5% of our plants that photosynthesize – they make their own food...

I’ve been introducing you to members of the Carrot Family (Apiaceae) including the edible Wild Carrot (aka Queen Anne’s Lace, Daucus...

Springtime on PEI provides an amazing selection of edible wild plants. From tasty greens like Dandelions, Fiddleheads, and Spruce Tips to...

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,...

One of my favourite signs of spring is the return of frog song. Ponds and wetlands across PEI are alive with noisy amphibians doing their...