Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in collaborating with and recognizing the like-minded organizations that share our passion for native plants and natural landscapes. At the College of Southern Maryland, we have the pleasure of partnering with Tracey Stuller and Madeline Kaba on numerous initiatives, including native seed cleaning workshops, winter sowing, and starting […] Continue reading "Media and Awards – 2025"
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"
In the past two blogs, we introduced Sam Droege and Dave Hunter, two of three guest speakers on the February 20th Wild Ones webinar on “Bees Beyond Honey, Understanding Native and Managed Pollinators” hosted by Sara Ressing, Wild Ones Education and Program Coordinator. In this third installment of this multipart series on “Bees Beyond Honey”, […] Continue reading "“Bees Beyond Honey” with Lora Morandin"
In last week’s blog, we introduced you to Sam Droege, one of three guest speakers on the February 20th Wild Ones webinar on “Bees Beyond Honey, Understanding Native and Managed Pollinators” hosted by Sara Ressing, Wild Ones Education and Program Coordinator. In this second installment of this multipart series on “Bees Beyond Honey”, we introduce […] Continue reading "“Bees Beyond Honey” with Dave Hunter"
In the February 2025 Wild Ones webinar on “Bees Beyond Honey, Understanding Native and Managed Pollinators” hosted by Sara Ressing, Wild Ones Education and Program Coordinator, we were introduced to three pollinator experts: USGS Wildlife biologist Sam Droege, Crown Bees founder Dave Hunter, and Associate Director of the Pollinator Partnership Lora Morandin. Sam, Dave, and […] Continue reading "“Bees Beyond Honey” with Sam Droege"
Collecting, cleaning, sharing, and sowing native seeds are keystone activities of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay. Collecting Seeds From the time the spring ephemerals start to drop their seeds in spring until the last of the fall bloomers’ seeds have ripened, our chapter members were armed with organza bags, paper bags, markers, and clippers in hand […] Continue reading "Show Your Love with Native Seeds"
What is a seed library? A seed library is a community resource providing free vegetable, flower and herb seeds to anyone who wants to sow and grow them. The Berkeley Ecology Center opened the first seed library in 1999, cleverly known as the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library (BASIL). Many seed libraries are housed in […] Continue reading "Seed Libraries"
Wild Ones promotes native landscapes through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Our educational efforts include tabling at local festivals and events, producing webinars and videos that we post on our YouTube channel, and posting gardening ideas, research and the latest native plant policy news on social media. Last fall, Marlene Smith, President Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, […] Continue reading "Library Display Case for Education"
While doing research for our upcoming Seed College presentation at the end of the month, I came across a new-to-me term, “seed sitting,” which is a catchy term for sowing seeds outside in winter, in pots covered with wire mesh. The concept is not new, but the terminology is catchy. I first heard the term […] Continue reading "Seed Sitting"
With a new year ahead of us, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay would like to reflect on some of the accomplishments of our chapter and our members. In our inaugural year as a fully chartered chapter, we hit the ground running and are proud to have shared our mission and passion for native plants through various […] Continue reading "Media and Awards – 2024"