Blog & News

🌾🫘This week’s council member social media post is from the PEI Watershed Alliance team.

PEI is home to over a thousand different wild plants! While this may sound great for biodiversity, the level at which each contributes to the health of our landscape is not equal, and, in fact, some are only detractors. Native species, ones that have lived here for thousands of years, support local wildlife and plant communities in a delicate balance we will never be able to fully comprehend.

Please avoid spreading commercial wildflower mixes, many have been proven to contain invasive species – even if there are no invasive species listed on the package. It’s always best to know exactly what you are planting, and how it will affect our environment if it were to escape. When you select native species, you can be confident your choices will be truly beneficial for our pollinators and ecosystems. We recommend purchasing species individually and creating your own mixes or sustainably collecting from wild populations. Not only will you be contributing to the health of island ecosystems, but your plantings are likely to also result in better results!

Native seed paper is a great way to spread local species around the island and is a fun activity for all ages. Using native seeds in paper-making helps preserve local plant biodiversity. It encourages the cultivation and propagation of indigenous plant species, supporting the ecosystem and maintaining a balance in the local flora.

If you would like some suggestions on what species may suit your needs, we recommend reaching out to your local watershed group for their expertise and guidance. If you would like to know if a species is invasive before purchasing, please reach out to the PEIISC for their advice.