Events

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 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 |

What's an INSECTIVAL?  It's an insect festival!  Join us for a day of buggy fun as we explore and get creative with the world of insects.  Enjoy activities for all ages, meet community groups who love bugs, and have fun roaming the garden, galleries, and indoor classrooms as you explore and have fun with insects! Celebrate these invertebrates and all the wonderful wildlife that depends on them. Featured activities: live insect zoo, butterfly tent, insect museum, garden hunts, buggy crafts, carnival games, costume contest, market vendors, food trucks, and more!

Come join Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and Southern MD Audubon Society; we'll be located in the “Hosts with the Most” zone. Our joint theme: Protect Habitat > Protect Insects > Protect Birds. 

Native plants are the host for our native insects (especially caterpillars) such as the Monarch Butterfly and a vital food source for birds. These plants provide critical protein-rich insects, nectar, berries, and seeds that co-evolved with local wildlife. Planting native species maximizes biodiversity, as they support significantly more caterpillars and insects than non-native plants.

We'll have our wildly popular Plant Pong and insect photo frames for selfies, along with our Monarch Cootie Catchers and butterfly origami. 

We'll also be distributing free milkweed plants. First come, first serve.

Rain or Shine event; Tons of activities indoors and outdoors.

Advance tickets required. See registration link, Ticket and Admission System.

You planted native. Your neighbor has opinions. Maybe your HOA does too. If you’ve ever felt like the hardest part of native plant gardening is the conversations, not the gardening, you’re not alone.

Wild Ones is thrilled to share this upcoming free webinar as part of the 2026 Less Lawn More Life Challenge. Join Lorraine Johnson for a practical conversation on navigating HOA rules, addressing neighbor concerns, and fostering community conversations about native plant gardening and ecological landscapes.

Friends of Patuxent's Local Community Environmental Fair is part of 90th-year Anniversary celebrations the Friends of Patuxent are hosting for Patuxent Research Refuge.

Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay will be partnering with Nurture Natives for this fun-filled famliy event. We will have information on monarch butterflies and their host plants and nectar plants, as well as information on our organization. Activities will also include our wildly popular Plant Pong, selfie photo frames, Monarch Cootie Catchers, and Butterfly Origami. We will also be distributing free milkweed plants (subject to availability). 

Additional activities, enjoyment, and fun include:

Exhibits by 20+ local community environmental / conservation groups
Live music
Film showing of “The Extraordinary Caterpillar,”
Keith Kozloff's photography exhibit in the Hollingsworth Gallery
Children’s activities
Jersey Mike's food onsite for purchase.

Rain or shine.

Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in natives!

Guest speaker: Kerry Wixted

Join us for our bi-monthly Garden Chat to connect and learn about “Charismatic Carnivorous Plants” with our guest speaker Kerry Wixted. Carnivorous plants seem like something from folklore, but did you know we have almost 20 species growing in Maryland? Learn about carnivorous plant adaptations and species that exist around the world and in Maryland.

Kerry Wixted is a vegetation ecologist with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. She has over 15 years of experience studying the flora and fauna of Maryland and has held positions with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 

Event is open to the public. Wild Ones members are encouraged 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.

Want to win a free copy of “Carnivorous Plants” by Dan Torre? We are giving away this fascinating, beautifully illustrated book to one lucky attendee at random at the end of the event.

Native plants are the foundation of habitat, but wildlife need more than food to thrive. Join ecologist and Certified Wildlife Biologist Shaun McCoshum, PhD, to explore how nesting sites, shelter, water, soil conditions, and other often-overlooked resources can transform a yard into a functioning ecosystem that supports biodiversity year-round.

Registration link coming soon.

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 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.  Registration opens August 1. 

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 |

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 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 |

A collaboration between Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, Deale Library, and Southern Maryland Native Plant People. Native plants will be shared with participants. A table with information regarding the benefits of native plants, Wild Ones membership information and plant lists for native plant conditions and garden design. Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay members will be available to answer questions and provide other guidance for including native plants in residential gardens. 

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? Join Owner & Principal, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), Sara Weaner Cooper for a candid look at her family's ongoing lawn-to-meadow transformation featured in The New York Times and BBC. Drawing from three years of hands-on experience, Sara will share the methods, lessons learned, successes, and challenges of converting turfgrass into a dynamic native plant community. Participants will gain practical insights into site preparation, planting, management, and the ecological principles that guide successful meadow establishment, along with realistic expectations for how these landscapes evolve over time.

Registration link coming soon.

Join members of the Chesapeake Beach Green Team and the University of Maryland Extension Home Horticulture Educator for Calvert County to learn about our plans to plant a buffer garden using native plants along the Chesapeake Beach Railway Trail! 

Event hosted by Cape St. Claire Improvement Association. Visit the Read More link for more information from the host. 

Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay members will be on hand to provide information on native plants with an outreach/display table during the plant sale. 

Details to follow.

Event is in conjunction with the Patuxent Research Refuge’s 90th anniversary celebration and National Public Lands Day.

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

Registration link coming soon.

Monarch butterflies depend on a network of habitats stretching across North America, and home landscapes can play an important role in their survival. Join experts from Monarch Joint Venture to explore the science behind monarch conservation, including the importance of milkweed, nectar resources, and regionally appropriate habitat. Learn practical ways to support monarchs through native landscaping and help sustain one of the world's most remarkable migrations.
 

Registration link coming soon.