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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...
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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...
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katemacquarrie22
May 223 min read
Cat-tail Pickles
Springtime on PEI provides an amazing selection of edible wild plants. From tasty greens like Dandelions, Fiddleheads, and Spruce Tips to...
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katemacquarrie22
May 82 min read
Fiddleheads
It’s fiddlehead season on PEI! If you have a favourite spot, now’s the time to check it out. If you’d like some tips on finding,...
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katemacquarrie22
Apr 243 min read
Frog Song
One of my favourite signs of spring is the return of frog song. Ponds and wetlands across PEI are alive with noisy amphibians doing their...
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katemacquarrie22
Apr 172 min read
Wetland Sheen
Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI. This time of year, I get a...
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katemacquarrie22
Apr 102 min read
Vernal Pools
PEI forests provide a critical but temporary habitat this time of year: vernal pools. Although you might think of them as just wet spots...
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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 213 min read
Beaver Extirpation and Reintroduction
Over the past few centuries, PEI has lost some native animals and seen introductions of new, non-native ones. One of the most interesting...
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katemacquarrie22
Feb 113 min read
Beaver Tracks
Some PEI wildlife travel our fields and forests all winter, leaving conspicuous tracks in their wake. Others prepare a cozy, well-stocked...
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katemacquarrie22
Nov 1, 20232 min read
Post-Fiona: Wetland to Sand Dune
Hurricane Fiona brought many changes to our Island landscape: some dramatic, others subtle, and a few that are – paradoxically – both. ...
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katemacquarrie22
Oct 25, 20232 min read
Nodding Beggar's-tick
PEI’s wild plants have all sorts of innovative ways to disperse their seeds. Some use wind, others water, and a rare few go with...
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katemacquarrie22
Sep 17, 20232 min read
Spotted Touch-me-not
There’s a pretty, useful, and downright fun plant flowering along PEI’s streams right now. Meet Spotted Touch-me-not (Impatiens...
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katemacquarrie22
May 21, 20232 min read
Early Spring Greens: Fantastic Fiddleheads
Fiddleheads are the best known and most coveted of PEI’s spring greens. I collected my feast last week, but you should still be able to...
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katemacquarrie22
May 20, 20232 min read
Early Spring Greens: Cucumber-y Cat-tails
Springtime on PEI provides an amazing selection of edible wild plants. If you’re out enjoying our freshwater wetlands (or maybe foraging...
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katemacquarrie22
Dec 28, 20222 min read
Peat Bogs
Peat Bogs (Photo 1) are one of the oldest habitats on the Island; we can trace their beginnings back to the end of the last Ice Age more...
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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...
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