British Soldier Lichen
PEI’s autumn leaves are gone, but there are still bright splashes of colour in the landscape. One of my favourites is the tiny but...
top of page
katemacquarrie22
Nov 133 min read
Labrador Tea
Fall is a great time to collect some of PEI’s aromatic wild leaves, perfect for spicing up food and drink during the cold winter months....
5 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Nov 63 min read
Wintergreen
PEI’s gardens and farm fields may be winding down for the year, but there’s still lots of fresh wild food in the landscape. It’s the...
8 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Oct 303 min read
Old Man's Beard Lichens
In honour of Halloween, let’s look at something that can make PEI’s trees look decidedly eerie: Old Man’s Beard Lichens ( Usnea spp.)...
17 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Oct 163 min read
Red-osier Dogwood
If you’ve attended any of my wild plant workshops, you’ll have heard me say “don’t eat white berries”. While there is one edible, native,...
27 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Oct 93 min read
A Few Toxic Fruits
PEI’s landscape is full of wild fruits right now, but not all are edible. Let’s look at two of the species I’ve been getting a lot of...
45 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Oct 23 min read
Butternut
When you hear the words ‘endangered species’, I’m betting animals like Piping Plover and Monarch Butterflies – or maybe Elephants and...
38 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Sep 253 min read
Highbush Cranberry
It’s been a great growing season on PEI, and our fall fruits are showing the result. Wild berries are everywhere right now, including the...
114 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Sep 183 min read
Gingko
Humans think in decades, forests operate in centuries, but the land’s timeframe spans hundreds of millions of years. We can read...
13 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Sep 112 min read
Wild Raisin
Fall and fresh food go hand in hand. PEI’s backyard gardens are full of vegetables, our farm fields are ready for harvest, and wild fruit...
49 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Sep 42 min read
Beechdrops
Of PEI’s roughly 1,500 species of plants, only seven – less than one half of one percent – have no chlorophyll and can’t make food from...
17 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Aug 252 min read
Sea Lavender
PEI’s salt marshes are among our most under-appreciated habitats: they’re wet, smelly, buggy, and have few showy,...
41 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Aug 182 min read
Swamp Dodder
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...
29 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Aug 112 min read
Soapwort
No soap? No problem! This PEI plant has you covered. Meet Soapwort (aka Bouncing Bet, Saponaria officinalis ). I learn new things about...
31 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Aug 42 min read
Spotted Water-Hemlock
I’ve been introducing you to members of the Carrot Family (Apiaceae) including the edible Wild Carrot (aka Queen Anne’s Lace, Daucus...
73 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Jul 312 min read
Serviceberry
What’s not to like about early August on PEI? There’s sandy beaches and warm water, new potatoes and garden vegetables, and wild fruit...
86 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Jul 283 min read
Wild Parsnip
The Carrot Family (Apiaceae) is among the most interesting groups of plants on PEI. It includes commercially important vegetables and...
36 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Jul 242 min read
Pinesap
Every group has its oddballs and plants are no exception. Most are content to follow the crowd and make food from sunlight, but a few...
30 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Jul 212 min read
Spreading Dogbane
You can probably think of examples where a famous and showy family member outshines their equally talented kin. If you’ve heard of...
20 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Jul 172 min read
Beach Wormwood
If you’ve been enjoying PEI’s famous beaches during this hot weather, you may have noticed a distinctive silvery-green plant standing out...
231 views0 comments
bottom of page