Butternut
When you hear the words ‘endangered species’, I’m betting animals like Piping Plover and Monarch Butterflies – or maybe Elephants and...
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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...
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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...
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katemacquarrie22
Jun 52 min read
Trilliums
June is peak wildflower season on PEI. Over the next month, I’ll show you some of my favourites ranging from showy to subtle to...
132 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
May 153 min read
Violets
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...
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katemacquarrie22
May 123 min read
Spring Ephemerals
This time of year, PEI’s landscape can look a little drab. It may seem like planted Magnolias, Daffodils, and Tulips are the only showy...
59 views2 comments
katemacquarrie22
Mar 63 min read
Riparian Zones
Some of PEI’s natural habitats punch well above their weight – their importance far exceeds the area they occupy in the landscape....
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katemacquarrie22
Feb 283 min read
Offshore Islands
Sites where human and natural histories meet are always interesting, and PEI’s offshore islands are great examples of this. They tell...
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katemacquarrie22
Oct 18, 20232 min read
Yellow Ladies'-tresses
July is peak orchid season on PEI, and so I am always pleasantly surprised to run into one of our late-flowering species in fall. I came...
95 views4 comments
katemacquarrie22
Sep 27, 20232 min read
Leathery Moonwort
I love finding new populations of PEI’s rarest plants, and ferns are my favourite plant group. So, you can imagine how excited I was to...
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katemacquarrie22
Sep 26, 20233 min read
Kate's Key to Some Common Ferns of PEI
I love ferns, but find the technical keys are not very user-friendly for non-botanists. So, here is my key to some of our most common...
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katemacquarrie22
Aug 16, 20232 min read
Bastard Toadflax
Today’s PEI plant has a strange name and an even stranger lifestyle. Meet the Provincially uncommon Bastard Toadflax (Comandra...
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katemacquarrie22
Aug 9, 20232 min read
Beach Pinweed
What comes to mind when you think “species at risk” on Prince Edward Island: Piping Plovers? Bats? Swallows? If you said any of these,...
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katemacquarrie22
Jul 19, 20232 min read
Earthstar Fungi
Making a living in PEI’s coastal habitats isn’t easy. Conditions are harsh: temperature extremes, salt spray, low organic matter, and...
102 views2 comments
katemacquarrie22
Jul 16, 20232 min read
Wild Orchids
It’s Orchid season on PEI! To celebrate, I’d like to introduce you to some of the Island species whose paths I’ve crossed recently. The...
115 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Jun 11, 20232 min read
Lady's Slippers
Lilacs and Lupins are flowering, so it’s time to look for Lady’s Slippers (my Three L Rule). That means it’s also time for my annual...
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katemacquarrie22
May 5, 20232 min read
Safe and Sustainable Foraging
I often hear from people at both ends of the foraging spectrum: those who fear wild foods aren’t safe and those who feel that anything...
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katemacquarrie22
Dec 28, 20222 min read
Black Marsh, North Cape
I have a post specifically on Peat Bogs, but there is one very special Island bog that merits its own post: Black Marsh at North Cape....
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katemacquarrie22
Dec 28, 20222 min read
Natural Ponds
It’s time to highlight another of PEI’s important habitats! Today let’s look at our natural ponds. I say “natural” because the Island has...
28 views0 comments
katemacquarrie22
Dec 28, 20222 min read
Groundnut
Today’s PEI plant is not only beautiful, edible and medicinal, it’s been used extensively by First Nations peoples for thousands of...
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