Some of the Island’s earliest spring wildflowers appear on their plants before the leaves. From the subtle blooms of Red Maple and Beaked...

Last week, we looked at how and why mammals such as Raccoon and Skunk were introduced to PEI in the early 1900s. These were among our...

Fall may be peak mushroom season on PEI, but fungi can be found at all times of year.  One that I’m seeing a lot right now is the...

Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored how and why PEI lost its large, native mammals during the 18th and 19th centuries. But in the...

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. Today’s topic is courtesy of...

In the last few posts, we’ve looked at aspects of PEI’s forests and wildlife hundreds of years ago, before European settlement. In each...

Reading wildlife tracks is one way to know who’s been around, but our neighbours of other species leave other signs as well. There’s...

At the end of the last Ice Age about 12,500 years ago, PEI would have looked more lunar than Earthly: no vegetation, just clay, silt,...

There are two types of tracks I am seeing everywhere on PEI this year: Snowshoe Hare (featured March 3), and the topic of today’s post:...

Last week, we looked at some of the large mammals that once roamed PEI, including Black Bears, Lynx, Walrus, and Caribou. You may think...

If it looks like a Mouse and squeaks like a Mouse it. . . might be a Vole! This week, we explore Vole tracks and sign, and look at Voles’...

Last week, we explored the PEI landscape of three centuries ago, around the time Europeans arrived. Those pre-settlement forests and...

No matter where I go on PEI this winter – town or country – the most common tracks I see are from Snowshoe Hare. It’s been like this for...

This winter we’ve been looking at PEI’s natural history – the story our landscape tells about itself. So far, we’ve read chapters written...

This winter’s frequent bouts of fresh snowfall have made for some ideal tracking conditions. While Red Squirrels are very common, it’s...

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,...

So far this winter, we’ve explored the formation of the Island’s sedimentary sandstone, fossils that can be found within it, a unique...

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

PEI has experienced many ice ages over its long history, but the landscape we know and love today was shaped by the most recent – the...

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...