Events

Join us for a joyful celebration of the season at the Milwaukee Public Market's very first Festival of Flowers, taking place Saturday, May 3 from 11am to 3pm at Riverwalk Commons, right across from the Milwaukee Public Market.

Wild Ones National Board Secretary Jermey Rappaport will present on how people can help support a healthy planet by transitioning away from traditional lawns and gardens to more sustainable alternatives featuring native plants. 

This free, family-friendly event is bursting with color, fragrance, and fun! Explore a vibrant flower market featuring locally grown blooms and botanicals perfect for brightening your home or garden. Enjoy live music from local artists as you wander, shop, and relax along the riverfront.

Bring the whole family- there’s something for everyone! From interactive activities for kids to garden-inspired crafts, the Festival of Flowers is designed to delight visitors of all ages. Grown-ups can savor seasonal beverages, while everyone can dig into a variety of tasty eats from local food vendors.

Whether you're a plant enthusiast, music lover, or just looking for a fresh way to spend your Saturday, the Festival of Flowers is the perfect spring outing.

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.

Presentation includes information on Coastal Plain ecoregion, Critical area, Right plant, Right place and suggestions for various situations (Sun/Shade). 

Included will be take home copies with information on local sources, internet sites for research and the Maryland Native Plant Society Booklet on suggested native plants. 

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.

Presentation includes information on Coastal Plain ecoregion, Critical area, Right plant, Right place and suggestions for various situations (Sun/Shade). 

Included will be take home copies with information on local sources, internet sites for research and the Maryland Native Plant Society Booklet on suggested native plants. 

Chesapeake Natives’ mission is to propagate. promote and protect native plants of the coastal plains and piedmont that form the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. We aim to restore home and public landscapes and park lands in this region with local ecotype native species (LENS) that best contribute to biodiversity, our best natural defense against the impacts of climate change. 

"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 Saturday, May 17th 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!"
 

Barry Stahl from Chesapeake Natives will be with us to explain local ecotype plants. LEN plants are native species that have adapted to thrive in the specific conditions of a particular geographic area, offering unmatched resilience and ecological benefits. Local ecotypes are often considered the best to use because they are genetically adapted to the local conditions and can help preserve local pollinators, insects, birds, and mammals, as well as genetic diversity and integrity of native plants. 

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.

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.

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.

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!