Events

Join Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay and Nurture Natives at our Bona Terra Community-Led Seedling Giveaway at NatureFest 2025 at the College of Southern Maryland, La Plata campus, on May 31 from 10 am – 2 pm. We are also joining forces with Southern Maryland Audubon and the Town of La Plata to share the message of “Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities.” Providing native plant seedlings is the perfect way to help restore biodiversity in our communities.

Prepare to be amazed, get your hands dirty, and have loads of fun as we learn about the beauties of nature together! NatureFest is a vibrant, family-friendly event celebrating nature and wildlife. Launched during COVID to inspire outdoor exploration, it has grown significantly in its five years. Last year, over 400 children and their families attended, and with support from 30+ mission-aligned partners and a new collaboration with the College of Southern Maryland, we anticipate 500+ attendees this year. The festival features hands-on activities like gardening and wildlife conservation, live presentations from environmental experts, creative workshops in nature-inspired art and photography, and interactive exhibits highlighting native plants, wildlife, and sustainable living practices.

The Chesapeake Mermaid will be on hand as part of her 15th Anniversary tour, bringing her enchanting show to NatureFest 2025, captivating audiences with tales from the bay and introducing them to her fascinating wildlife companions. 

More details coming soon.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear Sam Droege speak in person on native bees at NatureFest. NatureFest is a free, family-friendly event for all ages. 

The primary driver for losses in native bees is how we treat the land we own.  Pavement, houses, lawn, row crops, and growing season mowing reduce or even eliminate bees from a landscape that at one time supported them. It’s really a pretty simple cause and effect relationship. To reverse the loss is also relatively simple.  Mowing only once a year in the winter and reintroducing native blooming plants back into our yards, roadsides, field edges, parks, municipalities, and industrial areas is part of the solution.  The other part is husbanding what natural environments we have: removing deer, controlling invasive plants, and managing for biodiversity.

Sam Droege is a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland. He has coordinated major wildlife monitoring programs, including the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program, and has developed community-based initiatives like BioBlitz and FrogwatchUSA.

Currently, Sam focuses on native bee conservation, leading efforts to create comprehensive monitoring programs and online identification tools. He also works on reviving the North American Bird Phenology Program to document migration

If you missed it, check out our blog post on Sam’s recent webinar/panel discussion hosted by Wild Ones in which Sam discussed the critical roles that wild native bees play in our ecosystem and how we can support all pollinators in a balanced and evidence-based way.

NatureFest is a free, family-friendly event for all ages.  Registration is encouraged.

This town event will highlight the Bird City Pocket Park and the importance of adding native plants to our landscape - which dovetails (bird joke) nicely with this year's World Migratory Bird Day theme Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-friendly Cities and Communities. Approximately 6 tables from local environmental/nature groups will provide free native plants, information on how to propagate and why native plants are important to our landscape. Kids will be provided with chalk to decorate the sidewalks with nature oriented objects such as plants, birds, and bees, as well as laugh and dance with Polly the Pollinator (adult in a Bee costume). 

Join us for Southern Maryland Native Plant People's next native plant and seed swap - Sunday, June 22 from 1-3 PM at Kings Landing Park in Huntingtown, MD. We will be in Pavilion 1 - you can park in the lot on the right next to the barn. There will be signs and WOCB members there to help direct you.

Bring native plants and seeds to share with others - native plants to the Maryland coastal plain only please, if you're not sure, just ask. We are happy to help. To help prevent the spread of invasive plants or troublesome insects like jumping worms, please bring your plants either as bare root or rinse them and pot them in fresh, sterile potting soil. We also ask that you label them (Latin and common name, please!) so we don't forget what we have when we get back home.

If you're new on your native plant journey, that's wonderful - come to learn and take some plants home to get started, you don't need to bring anything to participate.

This event is done in partnership with Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay chapter and Calvert Nature Society.

Tabling event and tour of the Rain Garden

Chesapeake Natives Inc. Spring Festival brings together Native Plant enthusiasts and other non-profits like the Audubon Society during their open house sales event. "Join us for the Third Annual Rosaryville Native Plant Festival & Chesapeake Natives' 20th Anniversary Celebration!
Come out to Chesapeake Natives Nursery in Rosaryville State Park on Sunday, June 29th from 10AM–2PM for a day of nature, community, and celebration! In addition to our wide selection of *local ecotype native species (LENS)* grown from wild-collected seed in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, enjoy live music, food trucks, educational activities, local artists, and partner organizations.  
Our knowledgeable volunteers will be on hand to help you find the perfect plants for your space, and to share how LENS support pollinators, wildlife, and a healthier Bay. Celebrate 20 years of impact with us—we can't wait to see you there!"

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!