Events

Bring your native plants and seeds to trade with other gardeners at our inaugural spring native plant swap at the “Front Yard” native gardens. 

This free event offers both experienced and new gardeners a chance to add native plants to their yards. In doing so, you will be creating habitat for our native birds, bees and butterflies.

If you're new to gardening with native plants, this event is the place to get started! Meet and chat with native-plant enthusiasts, view native plants in the Front Yard gardens, and take home free plants and seeds! 

If you're an experienced native gardener, please spread the joy by bringing your favorite plants and seeds to swap and share.  

Strange as it sounds, we're trying to prevent the spread of invasive weeds and jumping worms, so please follow these simple steps when bringing your plants to the event: 

Dig up your plants. 
Shake the dirt off the roots. 
Gently rinse the roots clean.  
Label each plant (include the botanical name if you can). 
Bring them to the Swap & Share in a bucket of water or wrapped in wet paper and tucked in a plastic bag.

For more information, contact Liz Curtz, Friends of St Clements Bay, at [email protected] or Marlene Smith, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, @ [email protected]
Participating partners include St. Mary's County Master Gardeners, Butterfly Alley, the Leonardtown Butterfly Trail, Friends of St Clements Bay, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, and the St. Mary's County Garden Club.

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.

Tots in the Front Yard family garden walks will be led by Master Gardener volunteer Deb Pence and other volunteer community garden enthusiasts in the Leonardtown Library’s “Front Yard Garden.” Activities and guided walks are developed for 3–6 year-olds, but the whole family is welcome to join in the explorations. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and parents should note there will most likely be exposure to nuts, seeds and other plant parts as well as a variety of pollinators, so please be advised for potential allergens.

Registration is requested but drop-ins will be welcome. Walks will be approximately 30-40 minutes and loosely scheduled for 10:00 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Upcoming Walk Themes:

Saturday May 16, 2026:: Colors in the Front Yard - A scavenger hunt in the Front Yard looking for all the colors in the rainbow and more!

Saturday June 13, 2026:: Shapes in the Front Yard - Join us as we look high and low for all sorts of shapes found in our Leonardtown Library Front Yard Native Plant garden. 

Saturday July 11, 2026: Easy Peasy Tree and Flower Identification - Explore the Leonardtown library’s Front Yard garden and learn to identify 4-6 (more or less) easy to identify trees, shrubs or flowers found in our native gardens and Maryland’s natural landscapes.

Saturday August 22, 2026: Water in the Front Yard Garden! - Come prepared to get a little wet as we review “What Plant’s Need to Grow” and talk about the importance of nurturing our plants and gardens in the heat of summer with different watering methods and systems.  

Saturday September 5, 2026: Pollinators in the Front Yard - An end of summer investigation looking for pollinators in our favorite native plant garden.

Saturday October 3, 2026 : Fall in the Front Yard! - Enjoy exploring the fall garden’s colors, smells, sights, sounds and perhaps tastes In the Leonardtown Library’s Front Yard Garden. 

Saturday November 14, 2026: Sleepy Seeds in the Front Yard - A Fun exploration of seeds and fruits found in the garden for flowers, shrubs and trees. We have flower seeds & pods, shrub fruits and tree nuts to look at, feel and learn to associate with our garden plants.

AGE GROUP: | Upper Elementary | Toddler | Preschool | Lower Elementary | Baby |

Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in natives!

Join us for our bi-monthly Garden Chat to connect and learn from other native plant garden enthusiasts in our area. We welcome gardeners that are just beginning their journey to those with many years of experience as we all continue to learn about native plants and their ecosystems.

Many people are looking to add native plants to their gardens but don't know what to get or what is native for our area. This presentation will go over some of the most common native plants and where to plant them for success. Native Plants are essential because they are the foundation of the ecosystem. Native Plants are those that an ecosystem depends on in order to thrive. We can help fight the biodiversity crisis one yard at a time.

Join chapter members Robin Madel and Sue Williams for this informative presentation which includes information on the Coastal Plain ecoregion; critical area; right plant, right place and suggestions for various situations (sun/shade).

All Wild Ones members are welcome to attend and invite a guest!

Registration is required in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

NatureFest is back at the College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus. We had 800+ attendees last year and are excited to welcome even more this year. As always, it's free for the whole family

A peek into what's waiting this year:

-Live shows by the Chesapeake Bay Mermaid
-Live animal shows (raptors and more!)
-The Extraordinary Caterpillar movie in Room CE 101. Show times:
10:15 am
11:30 am
12:45 pm
2:00 pm

-Arts & crafts led by NCAC art teachers
-Astronomy, marine science, native plants & wildlife exhibits
-TWO live bands performing all day
-Nature scavenger hunt
-30+ local nonprofits, educators, and conservation organizations

Whether you're 2 or 92, there is something for everyone at NatureFest. Come get your hands dirty, meet your community, and fall in love with the natural world around us

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!

What’s happening?
UMD Insect Zoo 
Bug Olympics 
Airbrush Tattoos 
Plant a Pot with Master Gardeners 
Make and take mason bee hotel 
Ages: 6–12 years

Learn from experts: Bartlett Tree Experts, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, Calvert County Natural Resources, Master Gardeners

Supplies generously sponsored by: Bartlett Tree Experts

Bugfest is perfect for curious kids who love nature, bugs, and hands-on fun. Bring the family and join us for a day that’s sure to bee unforgettable!

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!