The first week of spring saw a flurry of activities for Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, from creating a welcoming display case at the local library, to winter sowing and seed sharing at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), to advocating for legislation in Maryland.
Twin Beaches Display Case
On Monday, several chapter members converted the display case at the Calvert County Public Library in Twin Beaches from its “Winter in the Garden” theme to its new “Welcome Spring” theme. The spring display includes a section on garden design, photos of native plants to look forward to as plants come out of dormancy, “milkweeds for monarchs” information, and of course an assortment of our favorite books. Many of the materials in the display case include QR codes for patrons to scan and access online documents, plus there are shelves below the display case filled with Wild Ones literature and coloring sheets for the kids. Thank you, Sue, Robin, Marlene, and Bill, for your creativity. The display will remain until the end of March. Check it out and find out how you can connect with native plants.
Winter Sowing at CSM
On Tuesday, we collaborated with the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners to conduct a winter sowing workshop at the CSM La Plata campus. Students, faculty, staff, and community members were treated to a vast selection of cool season vegetables and native plant seeds, courtesy of the Master Gardeners, the CSM Seedbox Seed Library, and Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay. Special thanks to chapter member Tracey Stuller, CSM lead for their Bee Campus program, for the invitation and for coordinating the event, and thank you to members Maddie, Marlene, and Bill for assisting with the workshop.
Seed Library Anniversary Celebration
On Thursday, we were back at the College of Southern in La Plata to help celebrate the one-year anniversary of their seed library, The Seedbox. We are excited that their seed library continues to grow (pun intended) and that dozens of students and staff attended. Participants were able to choose from a huge assortment of seeds provided by CSM, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, and community members who brought seeds to share.
For photos of events we’ve participated in during the spring and fall of 2025 with the CSM Seed Library, check out their photo gallery.
The Seedbox is registered with the Seed Library Network, which recently hosted a virtual conference titled “Getting Started”. Participants were introduced to starting a seed library of their own through presentations given by guest speakers who shared their experiences. More on the conference in our upcoming “Nonprofit Spotlight”.
An Evening in Annapolis with District 27
On Thursday evening, our chapter President and Vice President, Marlene and Bill, attended “An Evening in Annapolis with District 27” to meet the new Senator and Delegate for District 27 and to share the legislation that Marlene is supporting this legislation session. In Marlene’s words:
The backstory: Last month when an email came introducing the new Maryland Senator for Distract 27, Kevin Harris, I wanted to meet him because he is a member of the Education, Energy and the Environment Committee (EEE). There are numerous bills related to the environment that I am following this legislation session, and I knew getting to meet Senator Harris face-to-face would be more impactful than a call or email. Then last week, another email arrived with an invitation to “An Evening in Annapolis with District 27”. Not only would Senator Harris be there, but so would our new Delegate, Darrell Odom, who is a member of the Environment and Transportation Committee.
Bingo! I might be able to meet both representatives for District 27 at once. So I reserved seats for Bill and me. Then I wrote, printed, and signed several letters of support for numerous bills I support in both the House and Senate. And off we went.
It was a great evening. We saw a local artist we knew, made some new friends, enjoyed a DJ and local high school band, and had my caricature done. But more importantly, I got to share my passion for protecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed with both Senator Davis and Delegate Odom. And to top the evening off, I had my picture taken with both of them.
I owe huge thanks to Bill for not only going with me, but for making it his mission to track down the representatives and their staff to ensure I got to meet them and deliver my letters.”
If you are a resident of Maryland, please consider supporting HB 217/SB 229 Commemorative Maryland Native Plant Month. The hearing for both bills are coming up on March 17 and March 12, respectively. Check out our previous News blog and our recent Facebook post for how you can help Make May Maryland Native Plant Month!
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in native plants and cultivating partnerships, while striving to educate, advocate, and collaborate to connect people and native plants for a healthy planet. Our vision is native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community. Check out our Events page, Google calendar, Facebook, and/or Instagram for our upcoming events. And don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube channel and email subscriber list!
