Wildlife Enhancement on Prince Edward Island
Two woodland wildflowers
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), and Wild lily-of-the valley (Maianthemum canadense)

Humans seek out the rare, disdaining the obvious. Birders will flock for hundreds of miles to see a vagrant exotic, ignoring the much more interesting locals. Botanists will rave about an uncommon orchid while neglecting a fascinating fern, simply because it's everywhere. Be warned: this note is for those who enjoy the common place, and cherish the successful - whether plant, animal or opera.

Two humble but tremendously successful plants are bunchberry (often known as pigeon-berry or creeping dogwood) and wild lily-of-the valley (sometimes confusingly called Canada mayflower). Scientifically, bunchberry is Cornus canadensis while our other friend is Maianthemum canadense, both obviously very patriotic plants, growing right across the country.

Bunchberry is a very common perennial woodland plant, found almost everywhere except in deep shade: edges, gaps, hedgerows, open-canopy hardwoods. Often about 15 cm high, with 4 - 6 whorled leaves, its tiny flower appears in June and July. This little flower has only one petal, but the much larger petal-like bracts make it quite conspicuous, and show its relation with other dogwood types. The bright red ‘berries' cluster near the ground and invite any passer-by (bird, mouse, human) to try them. The taste is rather bland, but they are quite edible, and thus are consumed by many, including me.

Bunchberry relies heavily on vegetative reproduction through its spreading rhizomes, so it is often found in large colonies or clones which can survive for decades. It can be grown from seed, although germination requires both light and a preceding cold treatment. It can also be started from transplanting a clump into a moist, shady location where the soil is not too heavy. It makes a nice addition to a wild garden, although it may be moderately difficult to start.

Wild lily-of-the-valley is a wild lily, with its two alternate, entire-edged leaves showing the monocot venation style. Another perennial plant, it grows between 10-20 cm in height. It has a small terminal flower cluster which produces tiny white to greenish berries which turn ruby red when ripe. The berries are not very food-wise not very attractive to humans, except for some medicinal uses. On the other hand, mice and birds such as grouse use these berries enthusiastically, so they are important food sources for many.

This plant is even more widely distributed than bunchberry - you'll find it almost everywhere in the woods except in really wet places. It can be grown in a wild garden, but like any lily it requires some care in site selection and maintenance. If your wild garden is shaded and near the woods it may move in on its own!

The reasons why some plants are very numerous while others stay rare are not always obvious. With these plants the combination of vegetative and flowering reproduction, together with tolerance to a variety of shade conditions, seems to work well.

Art, Henry W. A Garden of Wildflowers. Storey Communications, Inc., Pownel, VT, 1986.

Clough, Katherine. Wildflowers of Prince Edward Island. Ragweed Press, Charlottetown, 1992.

Peterson, Roger Tory. A Field Guide to Wild-flowers. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA, 1968.

The Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project, a member of the Island Sustainable Forest Partnership Cooperative with assistance from Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Forest Service and the Model Forest Program have put together this series of information sheets concerning Wildlife Enhancement on Prince Edward Island. Thanks to Beth Hoar from GreenThumb Photography. Web development and maintenance by Chris Martin.