Welcome to Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay Chapter!
We promote environmentally friendly, sound landscaping to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities across Southern Maryland.
Wild Ones chapters are a space where like-minded people gather to support each other in learning about landscaping with native plants and to share with others in their communities and networks about why it’s important to reintroduce native plants into public and private gardens and how to go about doing it. Chapters are where change happens. We are excited to offer local residents the opportunity to expand their impact in the natural landscaping movement and help promote native plants!
SAVE THE DATES for our Upcoming Chapter Events
Please join us for one or more of our upcoming events. Most events are free and open to the public, but please note that some require registration. Please be sure to invite friends and family! Visit our Events page, our chapter Google calendar, or our Facebook Events page for registration and/or RSVP information.
Recent Posts/News
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- Nonprofit Spotlight – Xerces
There are so many nonprofit organizations across the U.S. doing their part to protect our treasured biodiversity, including pollinators and the native plants that are needed to support them. This is the first in a series of nonprofit organizations that support the Wild Ones vision of native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community.… Read more: Nonprofit Spotlight – Xerces - Show Your Love with Native Seeds 2026
Happy Valentine’s Day!! Collecting, cleaning, sharing, stratifying, winter sowing, and gifting native seeds are keystone activities of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay. Read on to learn more!! Collecting Seeds On October 1, 2025, thirteen students from the Natural Resources Management class at Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center in Leonardtown visited the Leonardtown Library… Read more: Show Your Love with Native Seeds 2026 - February 2026 Happenings
We hope everyone is staying safe and warm during these cold winter days. Don’t miss our upcoming events, including a presentation on “Roadside Native Plants” at the Leonardtown Library and a Wild Ones national webinar “From Wasteland to Wonder.” And if you’re in the Twin Beaches area, stop by the Twin Beaches Library to check… Read more: February 2026 Happenings - January 2026 Garden Chat – Grants for Gardens and Maryland Native Plant Month
2026 is off to a mission-aligned start for Wild Ones Chesapeake. Our January Garden Chat focused on the Wild Ones mission to promote native landscapes through education, advocacy and collaborative action. Our Garden Chat attendees were treated to a presentation by Unity Gardens, followed by an update on the “Make May Maryland Native Plant Month”… Read more: January 2026 Garden Chat – Grants for Gardens and Maryland Native Plant Month
A Few of My Favorite Native Things
Native bees buzzing and fireflies lighting
Monarches eclosing and new species sightings
Hummingbirds hover on fast-moving wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Red oaks and white oaks in decades old glory
Dogwoods and redbuds in the understory
Paw paw, persimmon, sassafras seedlings
These are a few of my favorite things
Beechdrops on beech roots and milkweed fluff flowing
Seed heads turn brown as the plants finish growing
Winter approaches and then then comes the spring
When I’ll enjoy more of my native things
When the frost bites
When the wind stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my native gard’ning
And then I don't feel so bad
by Marlene Smith, President Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay