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 […] Continue reading "Show Your Love with Native Seeds 2026"
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” […] Continue reading "January 2026 Garden Chat – Grants for Gardens and Maryland Native Plant Month"
When Wild Ones put out a request for chapter leaders to host upcoming National webinars, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay president Marlene Smith jumped at the opportunity. And she was delighted to be chosen to introduce Honorary Director Larry Weaner’s presentation, “Living in a Liberated Landscape: My Yard.” Larry Weaner is a nationally recognized landscape designer […] Continue reading "Larry Weaner – Living in a Liberated Landscape: My Yard"
If you missed it, check out this recorded presentation by Sara Ressing, Education and Program Coordinator of Wild Ones, on October 28, 2025, as part of the 2025 Monarch Conservation Webinar Series hosted by Monarch Joint Venture. “Explore native garden design with Wild Ones! For the past 5 years, Wild Ones has offered free, region-specific […] Continue reading "Native Garden Design and Climate Resilient Landscaping"
On September 13, 2025, we explored the meadow habitat at Gatewood Preserve in Calvert County! We were fortunate to have as our primary leader Maddie Potter – Faculty Specialist in Entomology and Integrated Pest Management, University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center. We started with a brief talk from Maddie about the vital connections between […] Continue reading "Meadows Matter: A Nature Walk about Habitat, Pollinators, and Beneficial Insects in our Ecosystems"
On Tuesday, September 23, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay was proud to host “From Bloom to Buzz: Protecting Pollinators and Beneficial Insects Amid Climate Change” with Madeline Potter, Faculty Specialist in Entomology and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with the University of Maryland Extension (UME) Home and Garden Information Center. In this presentation, Madeline explored the vital […] Continue reading "From Bloom to Buzz: Protecting Pollinators and Beneficial Insects Amid Climate Change"
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay member Amy Henderson is passionate about native plants. Read about Amy’s journey in her own words and watch Amy’s presentation on “Butterfly Trails and Pollinator Paths: Beautiful and Beneficial” presented at the Leonardtown Library earlier this summer. Thank you, Amy, for all you do to promote native plants and biodiversity in […] Continue reading "Butterfly Trails and Pollinator Paths: Beautiful and Beneficial"
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is excited to announce two events in September featuring Madeline Potter, Faculty Specialist in Entomology and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with the University of Maryland Extension (UME) Home and Garden Information Center. In this role, she educates the public and provides training to UME faculty and staff on insect conservation, sustainable […] Continue reading "September Events Featuring Madeline Potter"
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"
One of the keystone programs of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is youth empowerment. Our chapter President, Marlene Smith, has been mentoring Esther Bonney, WOCB chapter member and Founder/President of Nurture Natives, since the two met at a local University of Maryland Extension 4-H project on pollinators in January 2022. Together, the two have partnered on […] Continue reading "Building Habitat for Native Bees – Youth Empowerment"