Author | Lightnews

Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · 2d

Holey rocks may or may not bring us good luck, but they definitely benefit the creatures that make them. Check out today’s post to learn more.

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Holey Rocks

PEI’s shores are full of interesting finds, including holey rocks like this one. At first glance, you may think this stone was shaped by waves and tides, but the creators of these holes are biological...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · 5d

I usually ignore LBMs (Little Brown Mushrooms) as being too challenging to identify, but these are uncharacteristically distinctive. Meet Mica Caps!

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Mica Caps

Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at some of PEI’s fascinating fungi. Little brown mushrooms can be tricky to identify, but today’s species has features that help it stand out: meet Mi...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · 9d

Scientific names are important and can keep you from mistaking a toxic plant for an edible one. Check out today’s post and don’t confuse Wild Lily-of-the-Valley with Lily-of-the-Valley!

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Wild Lily-of-the-Valley

You may think of summer as peak season for PEI’s wild berries, but a few tasty treats are at their best this time of year. One of my fall favourites is Wild Lily-of-the-Valley (aka Canada Mayflower, M...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · 12d

Happy Thanksgiving! Today’s fungus is appropriately pumpkin-coloured but not one you want to add to the table. Check it out! 😊

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False Chanterelle

Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at some of PEI’s fascinating fungi. Today’s species is one I’ve known about for decades but hadn’t found until this year: False Chanterelle (Hygrophor...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · 16d

It’s not as well-known as its siblings - Trembling Aspen and Large-toothed Aspen - but Balsam Poplar is a beautiful, rare native tree. Check it out in today’s post!

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Balsam Poplar

Most Islanders are familiar with Poplar (aka Trembling Aspen, featured last week), and many know of its relative, Large-tooth Aspen. But you may not have met PEI’s rarest member of this group: Balsam ...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · 20d

I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll send your spores out! Today’s post features the fun, edible, and ecologically helpful Common Puffball.

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Common Puffball

Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at some of PEI’s fascinating fungi. Today, it’s one of the most common and widespread species in North America: the Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlat...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · 23d

Have you ever wondered why Trembling Aspen leaves tremble? Check out today’s post to find out!

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Trembling Aspen

One of PEI’s most common trees is Poplar, aka Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides). The ‘trembling’ name comes from the habit of this tree’s leaves to flutter in the barest of breezes; the gust in th...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · 26d

You can roll up this rim, but you won’t win a prize. Meet Brown Roll-Rim, aka ‘Poison Pax’!

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Brown Roll-Rim

Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at some of PEI’s fascinating fungi. This week we have the interesting, toxic, and relatively easy-to-identify Brown Roll-Rim (Paxillus involutus).I ap...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Sep 24

Our marine environment is home to amazing and unusual creatures. Unfortunately, this one is also invasive. Check out today’s post on the Golden Star Tunicate.

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Star Tunicate

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist, your own personal Google for information on all things natural on PEI. I recently received this beautiful photo with the question: what is this? It’s the amazing (bu...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Sep 21

It’s common, ecologically-important, medicinal, and easy-to-identify. Meet Birch Polypore!

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Birch Polypore

Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at PEI’s fascinating fungi. We’re staying with the Polypore group for another week to look at a species that can be found even during this drought: Bi...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Sep 17

Many people have never seen PEI’s rarest native tree, but you can in today’s post!

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Ironwood

Most people have never seen PEI’s rarest native tree in person, and some have never even heard of it. Meet the beautiful Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana). Ironwood gets its common name from its extraordin...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Sep 14

Biology, Geometry, Greek Mythology, and modern medical research all meet in this mushroom. Check out today’s post to learn more!

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Maze Polypores

Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at some of PEI’s fascinating fungi. The dry weather has made it a poor year for most mushrooms, but you can still find the tough Polypores. Here’s a n...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Sep 10

PEI’s rarest native conifer comes with a very cool adaptation. Learn all about it in today’s post!

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Jack Pine

It may not be majestic, but it’s PEI’s rarest native conifer and has an adaptation unlike any of our other trees. Meet Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana). If you say ‘pine’ on the Island, chances are you mea...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Sep 7

Beauty, biodiversity, and butt rot - Dyer’s Polypore offers it all. Learn more in today’s post!

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Dyer's Polypore

Welcome back to Mushroom Monday, your weekly look at some of PEI’s fascinating fungi. Today it’s the common, beautiful, and ecologically-important Dyer’s Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii). We’ve looked...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Sep 3

It may look alien or dangerous, but this lovely insect is both native and beneficial. Check out today’s post to learn more!

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American Pelecinid Wasp

Today’s PEI animal is a good example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. This ominous-looking insect is the harmless and beneficial American Pelecinid Wasp (Pelecinus polyturator, photo by...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 31

One of the chemicals that gives this fungus its distinctive colour is also found in the human brain. Check out today’s post to learn about Cinnabar Polypore!

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Cinnabar Polypore

On PEI, September means a few things: the end of summer, the start of school, and the return of Mushroom Mondays! Over the past couple of years, this series has introduced you to more than 40 common I...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 27

From the garden to the kitchen to the medicine cabinet, Mallow has a range of uses. Check them out - as well as where marshmallow fits - in today’s post.

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Musk Mallow

Late summer is such a wonderful time on PEI. Warm days and comfortably cool nights, water temperatures perfect for swimming, and an abundance of fresh food from farms, gardens, and nature. One of the ...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 26

It’s International Dog Day! Senior gentleman Ruairidh (centre) prefers short walks these days, while Dileas (left) and Cuan (right) are up for anything.

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 24

You likely recognize their late-summer sound, but do you know what they look like? Meet the Dog-day Cicada!

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Cicadas

Many of PEI’s wild animals are more often heard than seen – none more so than Cicadas. Most of us immediately recognize their high-pitched, buzzsaw-like sound, but would you recognize the insect that ...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 20

Loved and hated, edible and toxic, native and not: Milkweed is a plant of contradictions! Check out today’s post to learn why.

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Milkweed

Some PEI plants are revered while others are reviled, but today’s plant is both. Meet Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Our Island has two species of Milkweeds: the native Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 17

PEI has a reputation of being nothing but boring, red sandstone, but we have pebble beaches that can hold my attention for hours. Check out today’s post for an example!

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Pebbles

Too often, I hear people say that PEI is geologically dull. Sure, our bedrock is all sedimentary sandstone (except for the igneous Iron Rock in Malpeque Bay), but we are rich in globally-significant f...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 13

There are some odd-looking flowers on PEI: meet Water Arum (Calla palustris) in today’s post!

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Water Arum

Have you ever run into an acquaintance you haven’t seen in a long, long time? The person looks unfamiliar at first, then something dawns, and finally you remember who it is! That was my experience in ...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 12

📣PEI Untamed Videos Launched! 📣

I’m excited to collaborate with Harrison Olajos and Chris Brown (ideasinthebarn) to create a series of short videos. I’ll be sharing some here, or you can check out more on my YouTube channel. First up: Yarrow. Let me know what you think!

youtu.be/IvQ64l7MF3A

Yarrow

YouTube video by Kate MacQuarrie's PEI Untamed

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 10

I’m pretty sure “banana for scale” doesn’t usually mean a mushroom. Check out today’s post to learn about these beautiful and edible fungi!

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Banana Bolete

PEI’s dry summer has made for poor mushroom hunting so far. My go-to spots have yielded just a handful of edible Chanterelles and Meadow Mushrooms, a mixed-bag of Russulas, the ubiquitous Fly Agaric, ...

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Kate MacQuarrie @katemacquarrie.bsky.social · Aug 6

Not all mints are edible! Check out this beautiful, native, and toxic species.

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Canada Germander

The Mint Family (Lamiaceae) is well represented on PEI, with about 25 species known in the wild (along with a few hybrids and sub-species). Nearly three-quarters of these are exotic, but we do have a ...

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