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New Book Coming Soon!
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,...
katemacquarrie22
Feb 221 min read
141 views
1 comment


Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillars
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI. Judging by the more than 50...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 28, 20243 min read
52 views
0 comments


Sea Lavender
PEI’s salt marshes are among our most under-appreciated habitats: they’re wet, smelly, buggy, and have few showy,...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 25, 20242 min read
76 views
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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...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 18, 20242 min read
29 views
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Japanese Beetles
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI. Summer is peak season for...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 14, 20243 min read
71 views
0 comments


Soapwort
No soap? No problem! This PEI plant has you covered. Meet Soapwort (aka Bouncing Bet, Saponaria officinalis ). I learn new things about...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 11, 20242 min read
32 views
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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...
katemacquarrie22
Aug 4, 20242 min read
101 views
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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...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 31, 20242 min read
139 views
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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...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 24, 20242 min read
36 views
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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...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 21, 20242 min read
22 views
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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...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 17, 20242 min read
241 views
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Sweet Fern
Picking my favourite PEI plant would be a near-impossible task, but picking the most aromatic one is easy: that honour goes to Sweet Fern...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 14, 20242 min read
170 views
1 comment


Fern Leaf Rollers
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI. I’ve been getting quite a few...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 10, 20242 min read
106 views
0 comments


Pineapple Weed
Summer on PEI is short and it’s important to take time to stop and smell the flowers. This month I’ll be profiling some Island plants...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 7, 20242 min read
514 views
1 comment


Sea Milkwort
Fields and forests may come to mind when you think about PEI’s wildflowers, but our coastlines have beautiful flowering plants you may...
katemacquarrie22
Jul 3, 20242 min read
48 views
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Black Locust
There’s a line in E.B. White’s book Stuart Little that I love “…orchards so old they have forgotten where the farmhouse is”. I often...
katemacquarrie22
Jun 30, 20243 min read
94 views
5 comments


Chanterelles
The fantastic rain PEI has had over the past week has encouraged our wild fungi to start fruiting, and Chanterelles (Cantharellus spp.)...
katemacquarrie22
Jun 28, 20242 min read
120 views
0 comments


Twinflower
Imagine a plant so lovely that the person who created the global system for naming living things – a person dubbed ‘Princeps botanicorum’...
katemacquarrie22
Jun 26, 20242 min read
45 views
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Oyster Mushrooms
I’m always on the lookout for new-to-me PEI fungi and so was pleased to spot a choice edible species during one of my recent plant...
katemacquarrie22
Jun 23, 20242 min read
301 views
3 comments


Jack-in-the-Pulpit
This month we’re looking at some of PEI’s native wildflowers. So far, we’ve seen showy (Trilliums and Cherries), subtle (Blue-eyed...
katemacquarrie22
Jun 19, 20242 min read
59 views
0 comments
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