It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The winter solstice officially occurred today, December 21, 2025 at 10:03 am. Tonight marks the longest night of the year. As the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky, darkness lingers longer than on any other night. But from this moment on, the balance slowly shifts, […] Continue reading "Winter Solstice Sowing 2025"
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is excited to be participating in Monarchs & Milkweed at Merkle Natural Resources Management Area (NMRA) on Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 10 am – 2 pm. The event is rain or shine. The Monarchs & Milkweed at Merkle is a butterfly festival that celebrates the fall migration of the Monarch […] Continue reading "2025 Monarchs & Milkweed at Merkle"
If you’ve been following our plant propagation activities at the USGS Bee Lab, you may be wondering when and where our locally grown native plants will be available for adoption. Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay will be distributing FREE native plants at several of our upcoming events, including: Species will vary at each of the above […] Continue reading "2025 Fall Native Plant Distributions are now underway!"
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay would like to encourage you to support Bona Terra Nursery’s zoning request for on-site nursery sales in its new location in Charles County, Maryland. The Bona Terra native plant nursery is carefully maintained by experts, focusing on growing local ecotypes within 100 miles of the nursery in Charles County, using minimal […] Continue reading "Support Zoning for On-Site Nursery Sales at Bona Terra"
During our July 2025 meeting, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay (WOCB) members Robin Madel and Sue Williams present “Increasing Biodiversity One Yard at a Time” and discuss turning residential gardens into more biodiverse native plantings. Topics include ecoregions, critical areas, and considerations for choosing native plants. Robin Madel is an environmental educator who has been helping […] Continue reading "Increasing Biodiversity One Yard at a Time"
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is wildly appreciative of our partnerships with businesses and organizations in the community. Unity Gardens recently joined our chapter, and we are excited to share with you their amazing grant opportunity for organizations in Anne Arundel County. Fall 2025 Grant Cycle Unity Gardens are now accepting applications for their Fall 2025 […] Continue reading "Unity Gardens – Cultivating Communities, One Native Garden at a Time"
Happy National Pollinator Week from Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay! The 2025 Pollinator Poster titled Pollinators Weave Connections was “crafted by Deanna Derosia, highlighting the essential role pollinators play in creating and expressing human culture, in all of its forms. “As we reflect on the interconnectedness of our world, let’s unite in a collective effort to […] Continue reading "National Pollinator Week June 16-22, 2025"
Members of Wild Ones are committed to restoring native landscapes and educating the public. We are often asked a seemingly simple question: “Which are the best native plants?” Join us for the recording of our May Garden Chat where Barry Stahl (President of the Board of Directors of Chesapeake Natives, Inc. and member of Wild […] Continue reading "BENEFICIAL PLANT SELECTION: Things to consider when making choices"
Did you know that there are five Penstemon species documented in the Maryland Plant Atlas? Three of the five are available commercially and included in the new Commercial Maryland Native Plant List (CMNPL) as of 5/14/25. Of the remaining two, Penstemon laevigatus (Smooth, eastern beardtongue) is excluded due to its status uncertainty (SU), and […] Continue reading "Penstemon hirsutus, Hairy Beardtongue"
What may be the first program of its kind in the nation, the new Maryland Native Plants Program (MNPP) is now live. Developed through legislation ((HB950/SB836) passed in 2023 and effective July 1, 2024, the MNPP aims to bring more awareness about the benefits and importance of Maryland native plants to consumers, encourage consumers to purchase […] Continue reading "Maryland Native Plants Program"