Happy Meteorological Summer!
Thank you to all our chapter members who were involved in various activities and events during May. We closed the month with our wildly successful NatureFest. With over 1,000 registrants and over 50 vendors, it was our biggest and most successful NatureFest in its 6-year history. Thank you to our chapter members Marlene and Bill Smith and Deb Pence for staffing our outreach table, which included a variety of activities, and to our chapter members who attended as vendors/exhibitors of their own organizations. Check out our latest blog post, NatureFest 2026 Wraps Up Native Plant Month, to learn more.
Featured Highlights
National Pollinator Week is June 22 – 28. Pollinator Week is an annual celebration in support of pollinator health that was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership. It is a time to raise awareness for pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them. The great thing about Pollinator Week is that you can celebrate and get involved any way you like!
June 2026 Events
Our June events celebrate National Pollinator Week!
Volunteers Welcome! Please visit our Volunteer Sign Up form and consider lending a hand at some of our upcoming events or at our garden workdays. Check back often, as new opportunities are constantly being added.
We truly appreciate members who have signed up to help make our events successful and who make our garden workdays so much fun (“Many hands make light work!). Your support helps our chapter grow and ensures our vision of native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community.
Tots in the Front Yard: Shapes in the Front Yard
📆 Saturday, June 13, 2026
⏰ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
📍Leonardtown Library, 23630 Hayden Farm Ln, Leonardtown, MD, 20650 Map
Explore the Leonardtown Library’s Front Yard Pollinator Garden with magnifying glasses and children’s binoculars looking for and identifying birds and bugs in the garden. We can loan our guests magnifying glasses and binoculars but if you have your own, please feel free to bring them. Read more…
UP Meadow Day
📆 Saturday, June 27, 2026
⏰ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
📍UP Native Pollinator Meadow, University Park, MD, 20782 Mapress Swamp
Join Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay at UP Meadow Day – This is a community event hosted by the Town of University Park Sustainability Committee and celebrates native pollinator habitat in University Park!
Bug Fest – North Beach Nature Center
📆 Saturday, June 27, 2026
⏰11:00 am – 2:00 pm
📍North Beach Nature Center at Wetlands Overlook Park
Get ready for a buzzing good time at BUGFEST – a fun-filled day celebrating all things creepy, crawly, and cool. Participants can enter a free raffle on-site for a chance to win a bug hotel!
Recent News Blogs
If you’re not following our News blogs, please check them out. This is one of the ways we keep our members and community up to date on what’s happening in our chapter. As always, we invite all members to contribute to our chapter’s News blog and/or social media channels. If you have anything related to native plants that you’d like to write about for publication on our News blog or social media, please email us, along with any photos or videos, and we’ll be happy to publish them. Likewise, if your work in the community has been recognized in the media or if you’ve received an award, please let us know so we can share it with our chapter members and the national office. We know our members are doing a lot of great work out in our community, and we’d like to share and recognize your accomplishments!
NatureFest 2026 Wraps Up Native Plant Month
The last week of May was bustling with preparations for NatureFest 2026. Now in its 6th year, this is our premier spring event in Southern Maryland. NatureFest has grown since its inception in 2021 from its humble beginnings at Tilghman Lake Park to an annual event that attracts more exhibitors and guests each year. In 2021 there were 10 exhibitors and just over 100 guests. In 2026 there were approximately 60 exhibitors and guest registrations topped 1,000. Read More
Wild Ones Seedlings & Chapters Make Headlines by Wild Ones National
Across the country, Wild Ones chapters are bringing native plants into public view through media coverage that connects local action to broader environmental impact. From legislative testimony and conservation designations to broadcast interviews and community programming, chapters are expanding awareness of native plants and their role in building resilient ecosystems. Read More
Chapter Recognition at the 2025-2026 Wild Ones Annual Meeting
During the Wild Ones Annual Membership Meeting on April 15,2026, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay and members were recognized for their contributions to the Wild Ones’ mission. We are proud of our members’ accomplishments! Read More
Native Plant Propagation 2026 is Underway!
2026 native seed propagation is underway! This year we have moved our plant propagation activities to Providence Greenhouses in Arnold and the University of Maryland Extension (UME) Dairy Farm location in Gambrills under the leadership of RePollinate Anne Arundel project coleaders Lauren Toomey (UME Master Gardener) and Patchin Curtis (Anne Arundel County Watershed Steward), along with UME Master Gardener Coordinator Maxine Yoon. Read More
Native Plant Month Continues in Southern Maryland!
The second and third weeks of May brought many more new and exciting ways to celebrate native plants across our region, including another native plant month proclamation, transplanting native seedlings, conducting a garden tour, and so much more! Read More
Native Plant Month is in full swing in Southern Maryland!
The first week of May brought so many new and exciting ways to celebrate native plants across our region. Read More
Give the Gift of Native Plants for Mother’s Day 2026
Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the special women in our lives. Give mom what she really wants this Mother’s Day! Give the gift of native plants or a Wild Ones membership!! Read More
Wildly appreciative of your continued support!
✍️M.Smith
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in native plants and cultivating partnerships, while striving to educate, advocate, and collaborate to connect people and native plants for a healthy planet. Our vision is native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community. Check out our Events page, Google calendar, Facebook, and/or Instagram for our upcoming events. And don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube channel and email subscriber list!
Wild Ones’ mission is to promote native landscapes through education, advocacy and collaborative action.
We invite you to join Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay or find your local Wild Ones chapter here.
