Each time we visit the Halifax area, we make a trip to Peggy’s Cove. It isn’t the lighthouse or the fishing village that draw us back, though. For some of my family, it is the rocks themselves. They flow in long curving arched waves along the shore, luring them to explore. They stay well back though from the dangerous though dry rocks closer to the surf which can get swept by a rare but deadly rogue wave. Too many tourists die here because they won’t try to understand that risk. Personally, I am drawn to the Swissair Memorial. First, I pay my respects to those lost when the plane went down, and to those who raced to the scene hoping to save a life. Then, I let myself be amazed by the plant life growing on these coastal barrens. I stay only on the bare rock, trying not to even walk on a lichen, knowing how long and hard these plants have fought to survive. My challenge is usually the same: How many types of berries and fruiting plants can I find? This year, 2025, at the Swissair Flight 111 Memorial near Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia I may have set a personal best record for berries and fruits.
The Expected Edible Berries of the Peggy’s Cove Barrens
I was not surprised to find the following plants developing their berries and fruits. Even when they are ripe, I don’t pick them because the small animals and birds around Peggy’s depend on these for survival. But I do love to see them!
Cranberry blossoms, possibly of Bog or American Cranberry. I am still figuring that out.
Huckleberry blossoms. Or at least I think they are. I am also still checking further into this.
Crowberries, which will eventually turn a deep purple or black colour.
Partridgeberries, as they are called in Newfoundland or Lingonberries as they are called at IKEA.
Wintergreen, which will have full round red berries by September
I saw wild Blueberries, which were ripe, but I didn’t get a clear photo of any. And there were either ripe Raspberries, or ripening Blackberries along the trail from the parking lot but I was staying out of the way of other visitors so no photos of those either.
Don’t Eat These Berries at Peggy’s Cove
Juniper berries are poisonous, whether they are green or blue, don’t eat them!
Chokeberries are not edible.
Dewberries, which might be what these blossoms are leading to, do not sound edible to me.
Bunchberry which may be edible but I’ve never heard of any human eating it.
Other Bonus Plants to Look For near Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
I also found some other wonderful plants. Each year, I look for the carnivorous plants. I found Pitcher Plants again this year. Their ox-blood red flower stalks signal the location of the inconspicuous green vases of water that trap unwary insects.
I didn’t get down to any of the boggy spots so I didn’t see any Sundews this trip but I am sure they were there, their sticky ‘eyelashes’ on the edges of their leaves capturing tiny insects for the essential nutrients the soil lacks.
This was my first visit in July and I was delighted to notice dozens of pink blossoms beside a distant patch of Pitcher Plants. Even with maximum zoom, I didn’t get any truly sharp photos, but they are clear enough to tell they were Rose Pogonia blooms, a native orchid. So beautiful and unexpected!
So my total for this search was 10 types of berries or fruiting plants at Peggy’s Cove. Given how barren and forbidding the waves of rocks look it astonishes me how diverse and productive the plants here are. I doubt I will ever find more on a future visit–unless I can find a Bakeapple. I’m sure I saw one here in the past. Or how about a wild Strawberry? I guess I will have to search even harder the next time!
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