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    <atom:link href="http://www.mdflora.org/page-1828250/EventModule/4102785/RSS" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
    <title>Maryland Native Plant Society upcoming events</title>
    <link>https://www.mdflora.org/calendar</link>
    <description>Maryland Native Plant Society upcoming events</description>
    <dc:creator>Maryland Native Plant Society</dc:creator>
    <generator>Wild Apricot - membership management software and more</generator>
    <language>en</language>
    <pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 13:55:06 GMT</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 13:55:06 GMT</lastBuildDate>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Native Plant Cafe - Native Plants Expert Talks and Native Plant Sale: Adkins Arboretum (SATURDAY) (05/09/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;An Adkins Arboretum Event!&amp;nbsp; In the Eastern Shore.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Description:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;Learn from plant experts&amp;nbsp;how natives can enhance your home garden while supporting biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.&amp;nbsp; Attend&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;expert-led talks and demonstrations.&amp;nbsp; Shop native plants in-person, chat with fellow plant people.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Speakers schedule:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;10 am - Native Plants and Floristic Biodiversity - Bill McAvoy&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;
11 am - Native Plant Garden Design&amp;nbsp; - Kara Crissey&lt;br&gt;
12noon - The Ecological Importance of Leaves and Leaf Litter - Karin T. Burghardt&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://www.mdflora.org/resources/Pictures/CR.npc2026.jpg" alt="" title="" border="0"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This event is free to attend, but advance registration with Adkins Arboretum is appreciated.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For additional information and registration:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://adkins.donorshops.com/product/npc26/native-plant-cafe" target="_blank"&gt;https://adkins.donorshops.com/product/npc26/native-plant-cafe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6664440</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6664440</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Mountain Maryland Native Plant Festival (05/09/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11th annual&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong style="color: rgb(38, 38, 38);"&gt;Mountain Maryland Native Plant Festival&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#262626" face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saturday May 9 at New Germany State Park in Garrett County&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 18px;"&gt;&lt;strong style="color: rgb(38, 38, 38);"&gt;Discover the important connection between native plants, people, &amp;amp; wildlife!&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.mdflora.org/resources/Chapters/WesternMD/Native%20Plant%20Festival%20Flyer%20-2026.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;font color="#FF0000"&gt;&lt;font color="#FF0000"&gt;(download event flyer)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;font color="#DD000E" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#161616" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plants native to the Mid-&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Atlantic region!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#D2000E"&gt;(&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Some nurseries accept preorders for pickup at the event; contact each nursery directly to arrange)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;blockquote&gt;
  &lt;p style="line-height: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://evergreenheritagecenter.org/maryland-native-plant-nursery/"&gt;Evergreen Heritage Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111"&gt;&amp;nbsp;-&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111"&gt;Mount Savage, MD&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="line-height: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/18XSQLKy6z/?mibextid=wwXIfr"&gt;Wild Indigo Native Nursery&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#1F1F1F"&gt;-&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#2A2A2A"&gt;Grantsville, MD&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#1F1F1F"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em !important;"&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://woodthrushnatives.com/"&gt;Wood Thrush Native Plant Nursery&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111"&gt;&amp;nbsp;-&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111"&gt;Floyd, VA&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;font color="#DD000E" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nature-themed artisan items!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;(Be prepared to make purchases using cash or check; due to limited cell service at the park credit cards &lt;u&gt;may&lt;/u&gt; not be accepted)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;blockquote&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#2A2A2A" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://abphart.com" target="_blank"&gt;ABPH Art&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;- Accident, MD (handmade paper art)&lt;span&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://appalachianwaxworks.com" target="_blank"&gt;Appalachian Wax Works&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;-&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;Oakland, MD (quality goods from the bee hive)&lt;font style="font-size: 11px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.brousesbigbowls.com"&gt;Brouses Big Bowls&lt;/a&gt; -&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Bedford, PA (hand turned wooden bowls)&lt;span&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.eddiespaghettiart.com"&gt;Eddie Spaghetti Art&lt;/a&gt; -&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Maidsville, WV (lino cut prints &amp;amp; more)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#1F1F1F" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.keen-bright.com" target="_blank"&gt;Keen and Bright&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;-&lt;/font&gt; Swanton, MD (glass creations)&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#1F1F1F" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.martafiscusphotos.com" target="_blank"&gt;Marta Fiscus Photography&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong style="font-style: italic;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;-&lt;/font&gt; Cumberland, MD (award winning macro photos)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#1F1F1F" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;Peggy Nixon Designs&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;-&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Salisbury, PA (note cards, prints, and watercolor paintings)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;font color="#1F1F1F" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#181818" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conservation education displays!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#181818"&gt;Get answers to your&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt; questions on native plants and other conservation topics:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;blockquote&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://familyforestcarbon.org/"&gt;American Forest Foundation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://evergreenheritagecenter.org/"&gt;Evergreen Heritage Center&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofNewGermanystatepark/"&gt;Friends of New Germany State Park&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://gcforestryboard.wixsite.com/gcfb"&gt;Garrett County Forestry Board&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.garrettcountymd.gov/public-works/solid-waste-recycling"&gt;Garrett County Solid Waste &amp;amp; Recycling&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#131313"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.garretttrails.org/"&gt;Garrett Trails&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://tacf.org/md/about-us/"&gt;Maryland Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/mcc.aspx"&gt;Maryland Conservation Corps&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://extension.umd.edu/programs/environment-natural-resources/program-areas/master-naturalist-program/"&gt;Maryland Master Naturalist Program&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mdflora.org/"&gt;Maryland Native Plant Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mountainlaurelgardenclub.com/"&gt;Mountain Laurel Garden Club&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.umces.edu/al"&gt;UMCES Appalachian Laboratory&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#191919" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/GarrettCountyMasterGardeners/"&gt;University of Maryland Extension - Garrett County Master Gardeners&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

&lt;ul&gt;
  &lt;li&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guest speakers, guided walks, and family friendly activities!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;blockquote&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;10:30 AM - Tree ID -&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Learning to identify trees without leaves is a challenge. Discover other tree features that help with identification on this easy walk with a Park Ranger Noah Manges!&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;strong style=""&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;12:00 Noon - Plastics, Plants, Pollinators, and People -&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Raymond Najjar, Penn State University and Liz McDowell, MD Native Plant Society&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important;"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Plastics are remarkable materials that have transformed our lives in a relatively short time.&amp;nbsp;Their unique properties make them extremely useful but at the same time a menacing environmental and human health threat. Microplastics have found their way around the globe, impacting both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. This presentation will cover the rapid growth of plastics production, the fate of plastics in the environment, the impacts of plastics on plants, wildlife, and people, and potential solutions to what may be viewed as a crisis comparable to global warming and biodiversity loss.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&lt;font face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dr. Najjar is a Professor of Oceanography at Penn State University, where he has been teaching since 1993. He conducts research on topics in oceanography and climate science, focusing on how climate change and human activity influence coastal waters, such as the Chesapeake Bay. Plastics pollution is a current research interest of his, particularly the role that estuaries play in trapping river-borne plastics. He also recently developed a general education course at Penn State on plastics in the environment.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ms. McDowell has called Mountain Maryland home since 1979. It was here while working on her MS in Wildlife Management at the Appalachian Lab that she discovered nature and a passion to share it with others. As coordinator of the Western Mountains Chapter of MNPS, she manages the annual MT MD Native Plant Festival, leads field trips, teaches wildflower identification, and gives presentations on regional biodiversity.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;2:00 PM - Native Plant Garden Tour&lt;/font&gt; &lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;-&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Visiting New Germany's demonstration garden is always a joy. &amp;nbsp;Learn about the 70+ plants native to our region from Christine Campe-Price, Friends of NGSP.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p style="margin-bottom: 0px !important;"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All day - MMNPF Bingo -&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt; &lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Explore the entire festival and win a prize!&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;All day - Nature Center -&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;font style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Investigate the cool animals found at the Park!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;The Maryland Native Plant Society is partnering with both &lt;a href="https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/western/newgermany.aspx" target="_blank"&gt;New Germany State Park&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;and the Friends of New Germany State Park to sponsor this FREE event! The public is welcome to attend (no registration required) but your&amp;nbsp;support of the vendors and organizations through your purchases is deeply appreciated! Enjoy, hot dogs, snacks and drinks at the Lake House or pack a picnic lunch and spend the day at this beautiful mountain park!&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#DD000E" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;Driving Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;From Baltimore:&lt;/u&gt; West on I-70 to Hancock. Pick up I-68 and travel through Cumberland, MD. Continue west to Exit 22. Enter the roundabout and take the fourth exit onto Chestnut Ridge Road. Pass the Comfort Inn and follow Chestnut Ridge Road for three miles to New Germany Road. Turn left and travel two miles to the New Germany State Park entrance on left. Travel time ~ three hours. Signs will direct you to parking for&amp;nbsp;this special event.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#1F1F1F" face="Helvetica Neue"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;From Washington, D.C.:&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Take 270 north to Frederick, MD. Pickup I-70 west and follow directions above for Baltimore. Travel time ~ 3.5 hours.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#111111" face="Helvetica Neue" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;From Pittsburgh, PA/Morgantown, WV:&lt;/u&gt; Take I-79 to I-68 east into Maryland to Exit 22 toward the Comfort Inn. Enter the roundabout and take the first exit onto Chestnut Ridge Road. Travel about three miles to New Germany Road. Turn left and travel to the New Germany State Park entrance on left. Travel time ~ one hour from Morgantown and 2 hours from Pittsburgh. Signs will direct you to parking for&amp;nbsp;this special event.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font color="#262626" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Additional information to follow as details become available.&amp;nbsp;Questions? Phone the park office at 301-895-5453 or email Liz McDowell at wmtchapter@mdflora.org&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6529824</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6529824</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 13:30:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>MNPS Foray: Cosca Regional Park (FRIDAY) (05/15/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p style=""&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;strong style=""&gt;Co-sponsoring Organization:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span style=""&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Calibri, sans-serif" style=""&gt;M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leader:&lt;/strong&gt; Kerry Wixted&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;span style=""&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Co-Leader:&lt;/strong&gt; Judy Fulton&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Louise F. Cosca Regional Park, Prince George County.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Description:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;Join Vegetation Ecologist, Kerry Wixted, for a fun ramble through the woods west of Cosca Lake at Louise F. Cosca Regional Park! This hike is a plant blitz—part exploration, part science—where we’ll slow down, look closely, and document the plants that call this area home. Several rare species have already been discovered nearby, and with sharp eyes and a little luck, we might uncover more hidden botanical gems. We’ll be using iNaturalist to record our finds, contributing valuable data toward a comprehensive plant list for the park. Whether you’re a seasoned plant nerd or just plant-curious, come help us turn a hike into a discovery mission!&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;Kerry Wixted is the vegetation ecologist with the Park Planning and Environmental Stewardship Division, M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For additional information:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;font&gt;Please reach out to Kerry Wixted at Kerry.wixted@pgparks.com or&amp;nbsp;&lt;font&gt;240-716-8389.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;FREE EVENT&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Registration Deadline: &lt;strong&gt;05/12&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div class="gadgetStyleTitle" style=""&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bring:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="PT Sans, WaWebKitSavedSpanIndex_6, WaWebKitSavedSpanIndex_7"&gt;P&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;lease bring whatever you need for a walk in the woods! This means good shoes, water, lunch, and snacks. Bring a hand lens if you have one, as well as your favorite identification resources.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cancellation Policy:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;font color="#000000" face="Calibri, sans-serif"&gt;Event will proceed in drizzle but be cancelled if heavy rain or thunderstorm;&lt;/font&gt; &lt;font face="Calibri, sans-serif"&gt;cancellation &lt;font color="#000000"&gt;will be emailed at least 2 hours before meeting time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6552060</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6552060</guid>
      <dc:creator />
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      <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 10:45:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>MNPS Field Trip: Transforming an Eastern Shore Farm into a Bird Sanctuary: Meadows, Wetlands, and Spring Migration (SATURDAY) (05/16/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EASTERN SHORE FIELD TRIP - NOTE THE EARLY START!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaders:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt; Monika Relman (property owner), Cristina Niciporciukas, JC Lowery&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Description:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span data-ogsc="" data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;Holland Point Shores sits on a peninsula along the Choptank River, where the landowners began an ambitious habitat restoration effort about eight years ago.&amp;nbsp; Former sorghum and soybean fields were allowed to return to natural succession, and today the meadows are dominated by broomsedge and a rich mix of native wildflowers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Several wetlands were also created on the property, now supporting an impressive biodiversity. The surrounding forest is actively managed to reduce deer browsing pressure, giving young seedlings a chance to establish.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span data-ogsc=""&gt;Together, these efforts have transformed the farm into a haven for birds. A remarkable variety of species now use the meadows, wetlands, and woodlands throughout the year.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span data-ogsc=""&gt;We will partner with the &lt;strong&gt;Talbot County Bird Club&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;and scout for birds,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;including warblers, vireos, flycatchers and other avian species that are migrating across this habitat or setting up residence for summer breeding while exploring the farm's habitats.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The landowners are deeply committed to continuing to improve each habitat and are eager to share both the challenges and the successes of their ongoing restoration journey.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Limited to 10 MNPS members.&amp;nbsp; Directions will be included in registration confirmation.&lt;span data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;" color="#000000" face="Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;A waiver will be signed at the location.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div class="gadgetStyleTitle"&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bring:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; Wear hat and boots, bring water, and insect repellant. Also bring your binoculars.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;NOTE:&amp;nbsp; TCBC members do not need to sign via MNPS as this is a scheduled birding trip.&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cancellation Policy:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Trip will proceed in drizzle, but will be canceled if heavy rain or thunderstorm; cancellation will be emailed at least 2 hours before meeting time.&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;****&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note that An "Account" is not A "Membership"&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Our website allows non-members to have a "Contact Account" to receive emails about upcoming field trips, programs, and other events. When you login, click on your name (it should be on the top right of the page); if there are no details on membership, you are have a "Contact Account" only.&amp;nbsp;Consider joining to support our programs and take advantage of members-only early registration.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6676448</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6676448</guid>
      <dc:creator />
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      <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Native Plant Sale: Charles County Master Gardeners (Saturday) (05/16/2026)</title>
      <description>Sponsored By: Charles County Master Gardeners, UME

&lt;p&gt;Location: &amp;nbsp;Farmer’s Market, Talbot Street. &amp;nbsp;LaPlata, MD 20646.&lt;br&gt;
Sale will feature native flowers, vegetables, and herbs.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For &amp;nbsp;information: Terry Thir email thirccmg1@gmail.com&lt;br&gt;
240-441-4902&lt;br&gt;
CCMG, Plant Sale Coordinator&lt;br&gt;
&lt;a href="https://extension.umd.edu/locations/charles-county/" target="_blank"&gt;https://extension.umd.edu/locations/charles-county/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6652193</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6652193</guid>
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      <pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>MNPS Field Trip: Late Spring at Rachel Carson Conservation Park (Sunday) (05/17/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Join plant enthusiasts and weed warriors Jill Fonda Allen and Fred Proctor, as well as Lauren Hubbard, plant scientist, as we explore late spring in this botanically rich park.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Leader: Jill Fonda Allen, Fred Proctor, Lauren Hubbard&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Location: Rachel Carson Conservation Park (Montgomery Parks)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Limited to 15 people. Directions will be included in registration confirmation.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Bring: Sturdy shoes/boots, bug spray, hat, long sleeves/pants. Optional magnifying glass, cell phone for iNAT, small ruler. Note: There are no restroom facilities at this location.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;****&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note that An "Account" is not A "Membership"&lt;/strong&gt;Our website allows non-members to have a "Contact Account" to receive emails about upcoming field trips, programs, and other events. When you login, click on your name (it should be on the top right of the page); if there are no details on membership, you are have a "Contact Account" only.&amp;nbsp;Consider joining to support our programs and take advantage of members-only early registration.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6683786</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6683786</guid>
      <dc:creator />
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      <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>MNPS Monthly Program: Plants in Maryland's State Wildlife Action Plan by Mimi Sanford and Gwen Brewer (05/19/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Join us for a presentation about Maryland's 2025-2035 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) by Mimi Sanford (SWAP Coordinator) and Gwenda Brewer (Science Program Manager) from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. SWAP's are wonderful conservation guiding tools used by states. Maryland's third SWAP identifies species of greatest conservation need and the habitats critical to their survival — including coastal plain wetlands, vernal pools, riparian forests, and rare plant communities. The new SWAP includes increased coverage of plant species in the conservation strategy. This talk will explore how plant species were incorporated into this SWAP, as well as the habitats and threats to these species identified during the plan revision process. Priority conservation actions needed to protect and restore species and habitats will also be discussed. This is an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the statewide conservation strategy and how local habitat restoration connects to Maryland's broader SWAP goals. We will discuss how the SWAP guides funding, partnership, and on-the-ground conservation — and what role community scientists and restoration volunteers play in advancing its vision. Bring your questions and join the conversation.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speakers:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Mimi Sanford serves as the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) coordinator in the Natural Heritage Program at the Department of Natural Resources. She has a masters degree in community planning from the University of Maryland and has previously worked in the fields of urban planning, community engagement, and environmental justice. Though not a trained scientist herself, Mimi has enjoyed learning about wildlife conservation on the job and applying skills from previous jobs to the coordination of Maryland's SWAP.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Dr. Gwen Brewer is the Science Program Manager for the Natural Heritage Program in the Wildlife and Heritage Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis. In this capacity, she supervises statewide staff carrying out monitoring, research, habitat restoration, and conservation planning for rare species, rare plant communities, and nongame animals. Gwen represents the state in several regional bird conservation partnerships and teaches in the Master Naturalist program. She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Ecology from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University. Before coming to the DNR in 2002, Gwen was a professor at Frostburg State University for 11 years, where she taught ecology, ornithology, conservation biology, and tropical ecology and conservation in addition to advising graduate students. She currently serves on the Friends of Jug Bay Board; the Rainforest Trust Advisory Council; and the Women for Conservation Board.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We can accommodate the first 300 people who enter the Zoom meeting at the meeting time. After you register, you will receive a registration confirmation email with a link to the Zoom meeting. Registering does not guarantee a space in the Zoom meeting.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Zoom opens at 7:00PM for pre-program board update and member Q&amp;amp;A. Presentations begin at 7:30PM and generally run until 8:45PM.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The program is free and open to the public.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This will be recorded and available on our &lt;a href="https://www.mdflora.org/Webinar-Recordings" target="_blank"&gt;Webinars&lt;/a&gt; page.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If you enjoy MNPS programs please consider clicking &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mdflora.org/donate" title="DONATE" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to make a donation. And don't forget to renew your membership!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note that if you donate through the event registration, and subsequently cancel, the donation will temporarily appear as a credit.&amp;nbsp; It will take time for the donation to be reinstituted to your account.&amp;nbsp; Donations and membership dues are non-refundable.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6666107</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6666107</guid>
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      <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (05/20/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
      <dc:creator />
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      <pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Native Plant Sale: Cub Scout Pack 27 (online ordering through 4/30) (05/30/2026)</title>
      <description>Online ordering through April 30&lt;br&gt;Plant pick up on May 31&lt;br&gt;Cub Scout Pack 275 in Silver Spring, MD is hosting a native plant sale to send members of our rising Webelos and Arrow of Lights Scouts (rising fourth and fifth graders) to a week of resident camp this summer!&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Location: YMCA, 9800 Hastings Drive (off Colesville Road), Silver Spring, MD, 20901&lt;br&gt;Pick Up Date: May 31, 10 am- 4pm&lt;br&gt;Order online by: April 30&lt;br&gt;Order Here: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/scouts-nativeplants-fundraiser-85317/fundraiser/details&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;For More Information: info@pack275.com&lt;br&gt;https://www.pack275.com/</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6669314</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6669314</guid>
      <dc:creator />
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      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (06/01/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
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      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:30:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>MNPS Field Trip: Suitland Bog (FRIDAY) (06/05/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Co-Sponsoring Organization:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#000000" face="Calibri, sans-serif"&gt;M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Kim Stringer. Kerry Wixted and Chris Garrett&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;5904 Suitland Rd, Hillcrest Heights, MD 20746&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Description:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;Celebrate 50 years of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) managing Suitland Bog Natural Area with a pre-birthday bash hike! We’ll start in the upland area, travel down to the terrace gravel bog to botanize along the boardwalk then will check out a few other areas of botanical interest.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;Kim Stringer is a Park Ranger with the Natural and Historical Resources Division M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County. Kerry Wixted is the vegetation ecologist with the Park Planning and Environmental Stewardship Division, M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County. Chris Garrett is the Natural Surface Trails Supervisor with the Natural and Historical Resources Division M-NCPPC, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George's County.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For additional information:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;font&gt;Please reach out to Kerry Wixted at Kerry.wixted@pgparks.com or&amp;nbsp;&lt;font&gt;240-716-8389.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;font&gt;FREE EVENT&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Registration Deadline: 6&lt;strong&gt;/3&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div class="gadgetStyleTitle"&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: transparent;"&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bring:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="PT Sans, WaWebKitSavedSpanIndex_6, WaWebKitSavedSpanIndex_7"&gt;P&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;lease bring whatever you need for a walk in the woods! This means good shoes, water, lunch, and snacks. Bring a hand lens if you have one, as well as your favorite identification resources.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cancellation Policy:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;font color="#000000" face="Calibri, sans-serif"&gt;Event will proceed in drizzle but be cancelled if heavy rain or thunderstorm;&lt;/font&gt; &lt;font face="Calibri, sans-serif"&gt;cancellation &lt;font color="#000000"&gt;will be emailed at least 2 hours before meeting time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6571338</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6571338</guid>
      <dc:creator />
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      <pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>MNPS Field Trip: Sedges (Carex) of the Chapman State Park (Saturday) (06/06/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leaders:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Rod Simmons and Jorge Bogantes Montero&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Chapman State Park, 3452 Ferry Pl, Indian Head, MD 20640. Limited parking is available so we encourage carpooling.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Description:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Join MNPS board members, Rod Simmons (plant ecologist) and Jorge Bogantes Montero (conservation biologist), as we explore sedges (Carex spp.) in one of the most scenic parks in Maryland, the historic Chapman State Park. As part of the "Year of the Sedge", we will explore the riparian ecosystems of this park right by the mighty Potomac River in Charles County. The park possesses some of the state's highest Carex diversity in its gorgeous wetlands and floodplain forests.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Difficulty Level and/or Trail Mileage:&amp;nbsp; Easy to moderate, about 1 mile.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speaker Bios:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Rod Simmons is a plant ecologist and conservation biologist, with a background in biology, botany, and geology who has extensively surveyed the flora and natural communities of the mid-Atlantic region, especially the inner Coastal Plain, Fall Zone, and Piedmont of the greater Washington, D.C. area. He is a Research Associate with the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; a member of the Virginia Botanical Associates; former contract botanist for NatureServe, National Park Service, and others; and works closely with the Virginia and Maryland natural heritage programs. He is the author of numerous technical reports, papers, and articles, and has published in scientific journals. He is a member and a past president of the Botanical Society of Washington and serves on the boards of the Virginia and Maryland native plant societies. He is a frequent lecturer and field trip leader for various organizations. He recently retired as Natural Resource Manager and Plant Ecologist for the City of Alexandria, Virginia.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Jorge Bogantes Montero is a Natural Resources Program Manager at the Anacostia Watershed Society in Bladensburg, MD. He leads ecological restoration efforts on public parklands in the Anacostia River watershed (in both DC and MD), including wetland restoration, tree plantings, meadow creation, SAV propagation, mussel propagation, wildlife monitoring, and invasive plant management. Mr. Bogantes Montero has a Bachelor's degree in Natural Resource Management and Protection from the Universidad Estatal a Distancia in San Jose, Costa Rica, his native country. Before moving to the U.S., Jorge worked in his country in issues related to tropical biodiversity conservation.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For additional information: Jorge Bogantes Montero, jmontero@anacostiaws.org/ 202-560-6107.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Limited to 25 people.&lt;/strong&gt; Registration through May 29, 2026 for members only.&amp;nbsp; Directions will be included in registration confirmation.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;div class="gadgetStyleTitle"&gt;
  &lt;p&gt;Bring:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Closed-toe shoes, water, sunscreen and repellent.&lt;br&gt;
  &lt;br&gt;
  Cancellation Policy:&amp;nbsp; Event will proceed in drizzle but be cancelled if heavy rain or thunderstorm.&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;****&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note that An "Account" is not A "Membership"&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Our website allows non-members to have a "Contact Account" to receive emails about upcoming field trips, programs, and other events. When you login, click on your name (it should be on the top right of the page); if there are no details on membership, you are have a "Contact Account" only.&amp;nbsp;Consider joining to support our programs and take advantage of members-only early registration.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6672792</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6672792</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (06/18/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>MNPS Special Event: Botanical Terminology for Sedge (Carex) Identification by Sean Sipple (Wednesday - Zoom) (06/24/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Speaker:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Sean Sipple&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;During this optional virtual session associated with the Sedge &lt;em&gt;(Carex)&lt;/em&gt; Identification Workshop on June 27th at the Adkins Arboretum, we will go over the most essential botanical terms and techniques used to identify sedges (&lt;em&gt;Carex&lt;/em&gt; spp.) in dichotomous keys. This session is encouraged for people less familiar with botanical terminology, or people less familiar with sedges in particular. This session will be open to the general public, not just for workshop participants. However, If you would like to attend the June 27th workshop you will have to register online for the 25 slots available.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;About the Speaker&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sean is a Senior Environmental Scientist with over 22 years of experience. He co-leads the NRT and oversees CRI’s water quality and biomonitoring studies in non-tidal and tidal habitats, with broad expertise in natural resources disciplines such as rare, threatened, and endangered species and habitat surveys, waters of the U.S. (including wetlands) delineations, and mitigation monitoring. Sean conducts, reviews, and assembles complex natural resource studies related to residential, commercial, transportation, and utility projects, both private and public. He holds numerous accredited certifications, including Senior Professional Wetland Scientist, Professional Wetland Delineator, Benthic Macroinvertebrate Taxonomy, Fish Taxonomy, Fish Crew Leader, Qualified Bog Turtle Surveyor, and Small Whorled Pogonia. He is well-recognized for his technical expertise and regularly provides professional training to natural resource professionals in the region in wetland delineation, plant identification, and other technical disciplines.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We can accommodate the first 300 people who enter the Zoom meeting at the meeting time. After you register, you will receive a registration confirmation email with a link to the Zoom meeting. Registering does not guarantee a space in the Zoom meeting.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Zoom opens at 7:00PM for pre-program board update and member Q&amp;amp;A. Presentations begin at 7:30PM and generally run until 8:45PM.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The program is free and open to the public.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This will be recorded and available on our &lt;a href="https://www.mdflora.org/Webinar-Recordings" target="_blank"&gt;Webinars&lt;/a&gt; page.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If you enjoy MNPS programs please consider clicking &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mdflora.org/donate" title="DONATE" target="_blank"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to make a donation. And don't forget to renew your membership!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Note that if you donate through the event registration, and subsequently cancel, the donation will temporarily appear as a credit.&amp;nbsp; It will take time for the donation to be reinstituted to your account.&amp;nbsp; Donations and membership dues are non-refundable.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6641618</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6641618</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2026 13:30:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>MNPS Field Trip: Sedge (Carex) Identification Workshop (Saturday) (06/27/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;There are 178 species of sedges (&lt;em&gt;Carex&lt;/em&gt; spp.) in Maryland and over 480 species in North America, making it the single largest plant genus on the continent! This workshop will be a hands-on botanical exploration of &lt;em&gt;Carex&lt;/em&gt; at the Adkins Arboretum. Associated with this workshop, we will hold a virtual presentation previously (date TBD) to go over basic botanical terminology, this virtual session will be optional for workshop participants. During the workshop, botanical terminology will be spoken, researched, learned and discussed. Previous reading and studying of &lt;em&gt;Carex&lt;/em&gt; morphology terminology is highly encouraged. For more experienced participants or people that would like to dive deeper in the botany of &lt;em&gt;Carex&lt;/em&gt;, we recommend purchasing applications like Flora of Virginia or&amp;nbsp; FloraQuest (for our region). This workshop will be led by botanist and environmental scientist Sean Sipple.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Leaders: Jorge Bogantes Montero &lt;a href="mailto:jmontero@anacostiaws.org"&gt;jmontero@anacostiaws.org&lt;/a&gt;(202)560-6107 and Sean Sipple (seans@cri.biz)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sean is a Senior Environmental Scientist with over 23 years of experience. He co-leads the Natural Resources Department and oversees CRI’s water quality and biomonitoring studies in non-tidal and tidal habitats, with broad expertise in natural resources disciplines such as rare, threatened, and endangered species and habitat surveys, waters of the U.S. (including wetlands) delineations, and mitigation monitoring.&amp;nbsp; Sean conducts, reviews, and assembles complex natural resource studies related to residential, commercial, transportation, and utility projects, both private and public. He holds numerous accredited certifications, including Senior Professional Wetland Scientist, Professional Wetland Delineator, Benthic Macroinvertebrate Taxonomy, Fish Taxonomy, Fish Crew Leader, Qualified Bog Turtle Surveyor, and Small Whorled Pogonia.&amp;nbsp; He is well-recognized for his technical expertise and regularly provides professional training to natural resource professionals in the region in wetland delineation, plant identification, and other technical disciplines.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Location: Adkins Arboretum.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Notes: It is recommended that you attend the Zoom session (date TBD) that we will offer on Carex botanical terminology or that you practice ID/become familiar with keys (with the apps recommended) and terminology before the event.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Optional but recommended resources: floraquest app (you have to purchase it and make sure you purchase the one for the northern tier which covers our region): &lt;a href="https://ncbg.unc.edu/research/unc-herbarium/flora-apps/"&gt;https://ncbg.unc.edu/research/unc-herbarium/flora-apps/&lt;/a&gt; or Flora of Virginia (you have to purchase it) https://floraofvirginia.org/flora-app&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For additional information: Jorge Bogantes Montero &lt;a href="mailto:jmontero@anacostiaws.org"&gt;jmontero@anacostiaws.org&lt;/a&gt; (202)560-6107 and Sean Sipple (seans@cri.biz)&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Limited to 25 people. Registration through May 16 for members only.&amp;nbsp; Directions will be included in registration confirmation.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Bring water bottle, insect/tick repellent, sunscreen. Outdoor clothes, closed-toe shoes, and rain gear depending on weather forecast.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Cancellation Policy:&amp;nbsp; Event will proceed in drizzle, but will be canceled if heavy rain or thunderstorm&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;****&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note that An "Account" is not A "Membership"&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;Our website allows non-members to have a "Contact Account" to receive emails about upcoming field trips, programs, and other events. When you login, click on your name (it should be on the top right of the page); if there are no details on membership, you are have a "Contact Account" only.&amp;nbsp;Consider joining to support our programs and take advantage of members-only early registration.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6604308</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6604308</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (07/01/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (07/13/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (07/31/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (08/11/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (08/26/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (09/08/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
      <dc:creator />
    </item>
    <item>
      <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <title>Weed or Wildflower? (09/23/2026)</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-family: Verdana;"&gt;&lt;font style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;An Outdoor Volunteer &amp;amp; Learning Activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Verdana;"&gt;Leaders:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park &amp;amp; Liz McDowell, MNPS&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, &amp;amp; some elbow grease to remove unwanted plants from the native plant garden. As you work, you’ll learn how to identify common weeds and why protecting native plants is so critical for wildlife. Meet at the native plant garden near the dam. Please bring your own water bottle, insect spray, &amp;amp; sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font&gt;Directions:&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=""&gt;From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park. Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. The program will be held in the native plant garden near parking lot #5.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;font face="Verdana" style="font-size: 14px;"&gt;No registration.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p style="font-size: 12px;"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</link>
      <guid>https://www.mdflora.org/event-6605225</guid>
      <dc:creator />
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