katemacquarrie22

The Island’s winter landscape is mostly monochrome, making the occasional burst of colour all that more beautiful. One of my favourite bright spots is the aptly-named Maritime Sunburst Lichen ( Xanthoria parietina ). Lichens are interesting in many ways, including how they survive our coldest months. Most living things go to great lengths to protect themselves from drying out or freezing: two major (and usually lethal) side effects of winter. That’s why PEI’s trees, plants, fungi and even...

It’s breeding season for PEI’s wild canines, meaning foxes and coyotes are more active right now. Even if you haven’t seen (or heard) any in your neighbourhood, tracks will tell you who’s been around. Here’s my annual refresher on identifying fox, coyote, and dog tracks. You can check the Wildlife Tracks & Sign section of this blog for previous posts and additional photos of the features I look for.   Too often, I see one-word answers to track ID questions online that are really just guesses....

There have been some bitterly cold days this winter, with temperatures well into the minus teens and twenties Celsius. Clear, cold days are great times to be in the woods, but you may notice some unusual noises: the snap, crackle and pop of trees! Media have been having fun with sensational ‘exploding tree’ headlines, but let’s look beyond the clickbait. A clear, bitterly cold day in the woods on PEI. Trees do their best to prepare for winter. This includes getting rid of those...