Chapters in Maryland

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.

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes guided walk at Kollar Nursery. 

Located in rural Harford County near the Pennsylvania border, this ecological oasis was started in 1985 by Stan and Sharon Kollar. The entrance to the Nursery is tucked away on a little country lane that weaves through forest and grassland near Pylesville, Maryland. It is clear when you enter the property that it is an oasis for both native plants and wildlife alike. The property has been a source of ecological renewal for many decades.

The Kollar family will guide us around the property and share their expertise. Of course, native plants will be available to purchase!

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). 

Learn how you can start container gardening with native plants with Concetta Gibson, CBLP. Discuss the unique properties of containers, layouts, arrangements, and care. In-person attendees will be entered to win the session’s demonstration container.

Concetta Gibson is the founder and owner of Leaf & Bed, an Eastern Shore small business that provides garden coaching, consulting, design, and native plant sourcing. Concetta is a certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP), teaches garden courses at Chesapeake College, and is a co-founder of Wild Ones Delmarva Chapter.

In-person registration: RSVP here

Virtual registration: register here on Zoom

Cristina has been native gardening on her property in Poplar Hill (Baltimore 21210) for more than 25 years. She bought the property in the ‘90s and, as with most properties, it was riddled with non-native invasive plants and featured an excess of turf grass. She started by restoring one small area at a time, gathering and planting native plants in each section of her yard.

Cristina has managed to eliminate all turf grass on her property. Different heights of plants create a multi-layered garden design. Each section is heavily planted AND visually neat and intentional. Woodchip pathways guide visitors to each area in the landscape. The garden also features a pond in the sunniest part of the yard with flagstones, a cascading water feature and native plants.