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Online Ordering Until April 11
Cub Scout Pack 493 is back for a 3rd year doing our native plant fundraiser!
Order by April 11 and make a difference in your community. Support local wildlife conservation efforts and help empower local Scouting programs.
Online Sale runs from March 6-April 11 — Order at pack493plants.com
Plant Pickups April 26 & 27: Our friendly Scouts will offer two pickup dates/locations this year in Rockville, MD for your convenience:
Saturday April 26, 2025, 9am–noonRock Creek Valley Elementary School 5121 Russett Road, Rockville MD 20853
Sunday April 27, 2025, 11:30am–1:30pmUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville 100 Welsh Park Drive, Rockville MD 20850
NOTE: If you (or a friend) cannot pick up your plants during these dates/times, please contact cspack493@gmail.com prior to ordering to make alternative pickup arrangements. Custom pickups will be located in Rockville.
Online orders accepted from now until April 30.
Plant selection: https://lowershorelandtrust.square.site
Pick Date and Location: All orders are available for pick up at the Lower Shore Land Trust's office on May 2 and May 3. Address: 100 River Street, Snow Hill, MD 21863.
For additional information: 443-234-5587
Co-sponsoring Organization: Co-sponsors Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park
Leader: Thayer Young, co-host Judy Fulton
Location: Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, Baltimore
This 1,000 acre piedmont stream valley park contains 842 acres of forest in the midst of the Baltimore Mafic Complex. The walk will explore the stream valley, an island with a more isolated character, rock outcrops, some seeps and a hillside area beginning its second growing season recovering from a brush fire.
https://docs.google.com/
Thayer Young is a volunteer with the Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, and tries to walk each trail in the park in each season. He recently worked with FOGFLP to update and redo the trail map brochure that is available at the main entrances to the park and can also be downloaded. His day job is making maps and databases for small nonprofits, but he also loves to identify plants and is working with Charlie Davis on a plant list for the park. The list includes 200+ species so far.
For additional information:
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Limited to 15 people. Directions will be included in registration confirmation.
WV - TACF Spring Meeting
The American chestnut was once an ecologically and economically important tree of the Appalachian forests here where we live. In the early 1900’s, an imported blight fungus spread rapidly and killed most of the trees, but some survive and provide hope for the future.
Come to the spring meeting of the West Virginia chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation and learn about the story of the American chestnut and our efforts to restore this iconic tree to our forests.
The meeting is at the Mineral County Technical Center located at 981 Harley O Staggers Drive in Keyser, West Virginia. Registration is not required. For more information email Bernie Coyle at bfcoyle@hotmail.com
Leader: Kathy Daniel and David Braun
Location: American Chestnut Land Trust, South Side, Calvert County
Please join us for a Spring Wildflower Show and Tell followed by a walk in the American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT). It will be a great time to review the wildflowers in our area and hopefully identify some not so common native species. Several knowledgeable “botanizers” will be present to help answer questions and identify our ephemeral (fleeting) wildflowers during the walk.
We will meet at the Scientists’ Cliffs Community House for the slide show, then walk to ACLT. Wear sensible walking shoes and garments to fit the weather. ACLT has miles of trails, but we normally only walk about a half mile as the plant identification tends to slow us down greatly.
Kathy Daniel & David Braun are Maryland Master Naturalists and members of the Maryland Native Plant Society and Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay chapter.
For additional information: David Braun, dbraun7247@yahoo.com, 703-258-4998
If it is raining heavily, we will have the slide show on April 5 at 1 pm and the walk on April 6 at 2 pm, providing the weather cooperates.
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Limited to 20 people. Directions will be included in registration confirmation.
Bring: tick repellant/clothes, water & snacks, field guides. There is usually a restroom (port-a-potty).
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Note that An "Account" is not A "Membership" 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.
Co-sponsoring Organization: C&O Canal National Historical Park
Leader: Rachael Renzi & Bradley Simpson
Location: Spring Ephemeral Walk at Ferry Hill Plantation, C&O Canal NHP
Ferry Hill boasts fantastic limestone outcroppings and rich forests that are home to a diverse array of ephemeral wildflowers. Come admire the Dutchman’s breeches, spring beauties, anemone, trout lilies, dwarf larkspur, and many more!
Rachael is a plant enthusiast who works at C&O Canal National Historical Park. Bradley is a MNPS Board Member and Habitat Manager at Nature Forward
For additional information: Bradley Simpson, Bsimpso2@umd.edu, 443-433-8819
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Limited to 10 people. Registration through March 13 for members only. Directions will be included in registration confirmation.
Bring: Please 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.
Note that An "Account" is not A "Membership" 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. Consider joining to support our programs and take advantage of members-only early registration.
Invasive Species Removal Work
Action Alert! MD Senate & House bills currently under consideration threaten Bear Pen Run and other State designated Wildlands with the construction of overhead transmission lines. For more details & how to take action visit Engage Mountain Maryland.
Adult volunteers are needed to continue control efforts of Japanese Spiraea and Garlic Mustard in the Bear Pen Run Wildland area of Savage River State Forest. These control efforts help preserve rare plants and animals such as Eastern Leatherwood and West Virginia White Butterfly. Bear Pen Run is designated as a "Type I Wildland" [a primitive area which by its size and location is in effect untouched by urban civilization and can offer the experience of solitude and self-reliance. Type I wildlands are usually lands located at higher elevations that protect watersheds and are ecologically vulnerable to human interferences].
Savage River State Forest is providing logistical support. The Western Mountains Chapter of the Maryland Native Plant Society will provide snacks. Volunteers should bring their own water and tick spray, as well as wear water-proof trail shoes/boots since there are several stream crossings with rough terrain. There will be a limited number of work gloves available, if needed. Sorry, but no pets are allowed and no rest rooms are available.
For more information or to volunteer, please contact Ron Boyer by email at lmcd.mnps@gmail.com Volunteers will be asked to provide a phone # and/or email address that can be used in case of a last minute cancellation due to severe weather or unforeseen circumstances. The rain/snow date is Thursday April 17.
Join the MD/DC Chapter of The Nature Conservancy for this annual tradition!
This year TNC will be planting at the intersection of Muddy Creek and Cranesville Roads. You may volunteer for one or both days, and stay for whatever portion of the planting hours is convenient for you. Planting will take place on Friday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and on Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. For more information about this important work or to register as a volunteer, please follow this link:
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=wW2-eY7Xu0uyK9mUwKQXp-JBVysK0MFGuCFq77zwq8pUOU1CODhEWFFDMlFRMFIzU1ZCV0JFMUI1Vy4u&route=shorturl.
An Outdoor Volunteer & Learning Activity
Leaders: Christine Campe-Price, Friends of New Germany State Park & Liz McDowell, MNPS
Want to help preserve our regional biodiversity? Then bring your work gloves, kneeling pads, favorite weeding tools, & 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, & sunscreen. In case of rain this activity will be cancelled.
Directions: 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.
No registration.
Co-sponsoring Organizations:
Location: Assateague State Park Boat Ramp. Address: Near 7200 Stephen Decatur Hwy, Berlin, MD (left ride of Rt 611 just before crossing the bridge to Assateague Island)
Description: Join the Eastern Shore Chapter as we welcome spring at this free family event. Learn about pollinators, pick up fun free gifts, and enter a raffle for a chance to enter gift cards, merchandise, and more! This event is open to the public. This is also a chance to meet the Eastern Shore Chapter Chair Cristina Niciporciukas.
Notes: For more information, please contact: Cristina Niciporciukas mailto:eschapter@mdflora.org or Ava Fries mailto:ava.fries@maryland.gov
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.
Bring: Hats, water bottle and your best smile!
Speaker: Mark Brownlee
YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK
Zoom opens at 7:00PM for pre-program board update and member Q&A. Presentations begin at 7:30PM and generally run until 8:45PM.
Healthier Lawns for a Healthier Environment – A conversation about “wild” lawns
Take a visual tour of native wild lawns and explore what they are, where they are, and why they exist. Learn what you need to do to get your own wild lawn, and the type of maintenance that they require.
Mark is an engineer, an ecologist, and a botanist. He has been designing and leading restoration programs throughout the mid-Atlantic for nearly 20 years. Mark specializes in discovering why native plants and native plant communities emerge in some places but not others. His favorite ecosystem is high elevation bogs. He is married with two kids in college.
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.
The program is free and open to the public.
This will be recorded and available on our Webinars page.
If you enjoy MNPS programs please consider clicking here to make a donation. And don't forget to renew your membership!
Note that if you donate through the event registration, and subsequently cancel, the donation will temporarily appear as a credit. It will take time for the donation to be reinstituted to your account. Donations and membership dues are non-refundable.
MEMBERS ONLY: MAY 3, 2025, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
GENERAL PUBLIC
Location Black Hill Regional Park Boyds, MD Black Hill Regional Park Discovery Center (formerly Visitor Center) 20926 Lake Ridge Dr. Boyds, MD 20841
For more information and list of plants available visit: https://www.friendsofblackhillnature.org/native-plant-sale
Sponsor: Eastern Shore Chapter Co-Sponsor: Maryland Biodiversity Project
Leader: Jim Brighton (Maryland Biodiversity Project, co-founder)
Location: Park-n-Ride in Millington. Directions will be sent to all who register.
Description: Come and explore Kent County’s exciting natural areas. We will explore meadows, forested bottomlands, and Delmarva Bays; seasonal freshwater wetlands that hold interesting flora and fauna. After meeting at Park-n-Ride, our first stop will be at Millington WMA along Black Bottom Road. From here we will drive to another section of Millington WMA where we will walk to a couple Delmarva Bays. Our next stop will be at Cypress Branch. This area is largely unexplored. There are a couple large millponds and the forested bottomlands of Edmund’s Creek. From here we will drive to Brown’s Branch WMA. This is also fairly unexplored. The highlight here is the bottomlands of Browns Branch which hold interesting flora. This is an all-day field trip, but one can stop at any time.
Notes: Most of the areas that we will be exploring lack well-developed trails. Much of our time will be walking through woods and meadows and the ground may be uneven, and conditions may be muddy depending on the weather. Bring your camera and/or phone - we will document all living things we find on our way!
For additional information: Contact Cristina Niciporciukas eschapter@mdflora.org
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Limited to 16 people. Registration through May 1 for members only. Directions will be included in registration confirmation.
Bring: Please bring food and beverage for lunch. Restroom facilities are non-existent. We will make a restroom stop at the Food Lion in Millington before visiting Cypress Branch SP. While still early in the season, ticks and chiggers are always present, so please practice precautionary measures. Wear hat and weather appropriate clothing.
Discover the important connection between native plants, people, & wildlife! (download event flyer)
Backyard Forest- Bellefonte, PA Evergreen Heritage Center - Mount Savage, MD Native Roots, Inc. - Mineral Wells, WV Wild Indigo Native Nursery - Grantsville, MD Wood Thrush Native Plant Nursery - Floyd, VA
Backyard Forest- Bellefonte, PA
Evergreen Heritage Center - Mount Savage, MD
Native Roots, Inc. - Mineral Wells, WV
Wild Indigo Native Nursery - Grantsville, MD
Wood Thrush Native Plant Nursery - Floyd, VA
Appalachian Wax Works - Oakland, Maryland (quality goods from the bee hive) Keen and Bright - Swanton, MD (glass creations) Marta Fiscus Photography - Cumberland, MD (award winning macro photos) Peggy Nixon Designs - Salisbury, PA (hand-painted slates & note cards)
Appalachian Wax Works - Oakland, Maryland (quality goods from the bee hive)
Keen and Bright - Swanton, MD (glass creations)
Marta Fiscus Photography - Cumberland, MD (award winning macro photos)
Peggy Nixon Designs - Salisbury, PA (hand-painted slates & note cards)
11:30 AM - Attracting Pollinators To Your Garden - Candy DeBerry, Washington & Jefferson College As much as one third of the food we eat – from apples to zucchini – is dependent upon pollination of crop plants by bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds or bats. Learn how to attract pollinators to your garden by using native plants to provide nectar, pollen, and nesting and overwintering sites. Dr. DeBerry gardens on 1/3 acre on the edge of the small city of Washington in southwestern Pennsylvania. She is most passionate about growing native plants to support biodiversity, harvesting blue ribbons from the county fair for her garlic, tomatoes, and peppers, and collecting eggs from her three backyard chickens. To support her gardening habit, she is also Professor of Biology and Director of the Biochemistry program at Washington & Jefferson College, where she teaches Cell Biology, Biochemistry, and a senior seminar on cancer. 1:00 PM - Plastics in the Environment - Raymond Najjar, Penn State University Plastics are remarkable materials that have transformed our lives in a relatively short time. The strength, durability, flexibility, and low density of plastics make them extremely useful but at the same time a menacing environmental and human health threat. Microplastics have found their way to nearly every corner of the globe and every part of the human body. This presentation will cover the rapid growth of plastics production, the fate of plastics in the environment, the impacts of plastics on ecology and human health, and potential solutions to what may be viewed as a crisis comparable to global warming and biodiversity loss. 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.
11:30 AM - Attracting Pollinators To Your Garden - Candy DeBerry, Washington & Jefferson College
As much as one third of the food we eat – from apples to zucchini – is dependent upon pollination of crop plants by bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds or bats. Learn how to attract pollinators to your garden by using native plants to provide nectar, pollen, and nesting and overwintering sites.
Dr. DeBerry gardens on 1/3 acre on the edge of the small city of Washington in southwestern Pennsylvania. She is most passionate about growing native plants to support biodiversity, harvesting blue ribbons from the county fair for her garlic, tomatoes, and peppers, and collecting eggs from her three backyard chickens. To support her gardening habit, she is also Professor of Biology and Director of the Biochemistry program at Washington & Jefferson College, where she teaches Cell Biology, Biochemistry, and a senior seminar on cancer.
1:00 PM - Plastics in the Environment - Raymond Najjar, Penn State University
Plastics are remarkable materials that have transformed our lives in a relatively short time. The strength, durability, flexibility, and low density of plastics make them extremely useful but at the same time a menacing environmental and human health threat. Microplastics have found their way to nearly every corner of the globe and every part of the human body. This presentation will cover the rapid growth of plastics production, the fate of plastics in the environment, the impacts of plastics on ecology and human health, and potential solutions to what may be viewed as a crisis comparable to global warming and biodiversity loss.
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.
10:30 AM - Tree ID - 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! 2:15 PM - Native Plant Garden Tour - Visiting New Germany's demonstration garden is always a joy. Learn about the 70+ plants native to our region from a Friends of NGSP gardener. All day - MMNPF Bingo - Explore the entire festival and win a prize! All day - Nature Center Open - Investigate the cool animals found at the Park!
10:30 AM - Tree ID - 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!
2:15 PM - Native Plant Garden Tour - Visiting New Germany's demonstration garden is always a joy. Learn about the 70+ plants native to our region from a Friends of NGSP gardener.
All day - MMNPF Bingo - Explore the entire festival and win a prize!
All day - Nature Center Open - Investigate the cool animals found at the Park!
American Forest Foundation Evergreen Heritage Center Friends of New Germany State Park Garrett County Forestry Board Garrett County Solid Waste & Recycling Garrett Trails Maryland Conservation Corps Maryland Master Naturalist Program Maryland Native Plant Society Mountain Laurel Garden Club University of Maryland Extension - Garrett County Master Gardeners West Virginia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation
American Forest Foundation
Evergreen Heritage Center
Friends of New Germany State Park
Garrett County Forestry Board
Garrett County Solid Waste & Recycling
Garrett Trails
Maryland Conservation Corps
Maryland Master Naturalist Program
Maryland Native Plant Society
Mountain Laurel Garden Club
University of Maryland Extension - Garrett County Master Gardeners
West Virginia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation
The Maryland Native Plant Society is partnering with both New Germany State Park and the Friends of New Germany State Park to sponsor this FREE event! The public is welcome to attend (no registration required) but your support of the vendors & organizations through your purchases is deeply appreciated! Snacks and drinks will be available at the Lake House. There’s a possibility that there will also be a food truck selling sandwiches, so stay tuned for updates!
Driving Directions:
From Baltimore: 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 this special event.
From Washington, D.C.: Take 270 north to Frederick, MD. Pickup I-70 west and follow directions above for Baltimore. Travel time ~ 3.5 hours.
From Pittsburgh, PA/Morgantown, WV: 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 this special event.
Additional information to follow as details become available. Questions? Phone the park office at 301-895-5453 or email Liz McDowell at lmcd.mnps@gmail.com
Location: Carderock Recreation Area / Billy Goat Trail Section C Trailhead
Explore the unique habitats and flora of Billy Goat C at C&O Canal. Expect to spend some time keying out plants of interest.
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Limited to 10 people. Registration through April 30 for members only. Directions will be included in registration confirmation.
Speaker: Jorge Bogantes Montero
The Anacostia River once had extensive tidal emergent wetlands dominated by Wild Rice (Zizania aquatica), an essential plant in this aquatic ecosystem. Centuries of habitat destruction and neglect deeply changed the riparian landscape of this river in the nation’s capital. For more than two decades, the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) has embarked on an ecosystem restoration journey to try to recover these amazing tidal marshlands, but in a very different River in the 21st century. Since 2020, wild rice has been thriving and even expanding in acreage as a result of our restoration efforts in what is a true restoration success story. Every summer, with the blooming of wild rice and more wildlife sightings, we grow more hopeful and treasure the recovery of a riverine ecosystem in the middle of a major city.
Jorge Bogantes Montero is a Natural Resources Specialist 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.
An Outdoor Learning Activity
Leaders: Ashley Bachtel-Bodkins, UME, and Liz McDowell, MNPS
Join University of Maryland Extension and Maryland Native Plant Society for an introduction to the basic skills and information needed for pruning in your home landscape. Learn why, when, and how to complete simple pruning to encourage plant health and prevent disease during a digital presentation. This will be followed by a live-demonstration of how to make clean cuts using sharp pruning equipment. After a short break, participants will move outside to take a closer look at a variety of native shrubs and trees; identify exactly where to prune them; and discover why native woodies are so important for regional biodiversity.
This program is free and open to the public (no registration). Participants should bring a water bottle, insect/tick spray, and sunscreen. This activity will be held rain or shine.
Directions: 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 begin at the Tall Oaks Pavilion (first structure on the left after entering the park). There is parking in a lot off of McAndrews Hill Road (2nd left after entering the park) as well as diagonal parking along McAndrews Hill Road.
Webinar Recordings page and on the MNPS YouTube channel
Program Resources and Handouts
