Diverse Landscapes of Maryland's Piedmont and Western Shore

Event Co-Hosts: University of Maryland Extension Maryland Native Plants Program and University of Maryland School of Landscape Architecture

The Maryland Native Plant Society's 2026 fall conference features presentations, workshops, and field trips so you can learn more about our native plants and their habitats. Discover the unique landscapes of Maryland’s Piedmont and Western Coastal Plain from globally rare ecosystems such as magnolia bogs to the resilient and prevalent oak-hickory forests.

Location: University of Maryland, College Park, Stamp Student Union, Colony Ballroom

Parking on Saturday: Free at Regents Drive Garage/Lot B (behind Hornbake Plaza). Other campus lots are free on the weekends if highlighted in green on UMD’s campus map (pdf) (webpage). Please read parking signs carefully to avoid expensive parking fines.

If you are registered for the conference and would like to volunteer on the day of the conference, email conference@mdflora.org.

REGISTRATION CLOSES ON 9/3 to meet our catering deadlines.

Cancelations received before 9/3 will receive a 50% refund. No refunds after 9/3.

MNPS Conference Agenda (PDF)

Day 1 | Saturday, September 12

7:45 - 8:45 AM Check-in and continental breakfast

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Sponsor tables (indoors)

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Plant sale by Maryland certified native plant nurseries, plus other booths. Open to the public. (Hornbake Plaza) (see booth details)

Morning Session (see presentation details)

8:45 - 9:00 AM Welcome and logistics

9:00 - 10:00 AM Soldiers Delight's Serpentine Barrens: Restoration of a Globally Rare Ecosystem with Amazing Plants. Paula Becker (Wildlife and Heritage Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources)

10:00 - 11:00 AM The Toxic Truth About Neonic Pesticides: Threats to Pollinators, Natural Ecosystems, and Our Health. Dan Raichel, Maya Korb (Natural Resources Defense Council)

11:00 - 11:15 AM Break

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Restoring Vernal Pools and Preserving Their Fragile Habitats. Michael Hayslett (Virginia Vernal Pools, LLC)

12:15 - 12:20 PM Announcements

Afternoon Session

12:20 - 1:00 PM Bag lunch pick-up

1:00-2:00 Lunch and Plant Sale

2:00 - 5:00 PM workshop or field trips (See current list)  Conference Registrants will receive an email with the complete list in order to choose a field trip or workshop.

Workshops Options:

2:00 Meet at the workshop location. Workshopare 2:00-5:00 PM

1. Native Plants, Healthy Gardens: Mid-Atlantic Beauty at Home, Design workshop. Ann English and David Myers, Ph.D. (UMD Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture)
2. Asteraceae Identification. Clare Walker, Ph.D.
3. Sketching Asters – Draw One to Know One, Botanical drawing. Jen Brown
4. The Native Food Forest: Talk and Walk. Shane Brill (Perennial Nutritional Therapy)
5. Plants to Dye For! Maile Neel, Ph.D. (UMD Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, UMD Herbarium)

Saturday Field Trip Options 

2:20 Meet at the field trip location. Trips are 2:30-5:00 PM

1. Paint Branch Stream Restoration (ADA accessible) (on campus)
2. University of Maryland Audubon Student Chapter Bird Beds Tour (On campus)
3. Wooded Hillock (UMD Campus)
4. Buck Lodge Community Park, Powerline, and Bog (Adelphi MD)
5. Ancient Vernal Pools of Adelphi Manor (Adelphi MD)
6. Living Landscapes with Springsong Museum, Northwest Branch (Silver Spring MD)
7. Exploring Governor's Bridge Natural Area (Bowie MD)
8. Oxbow Lake and a Whopping Wetland (Laurel MD)
9. Beltsville Agricultural Research Center

5:30 - 6:30 PM Poster session and social hour

Evening Session (Additional $30 fee paid during conference registration)

6:30 - 7:30 PM Dinner buffet

6:55 - 7:00 PM Announcement of poster awards

7:00 - 8:00 PM Conservation of Maryland’s Native Orchids. Melissa McCormick, Ph.D. (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center) (see presentation details)

8:00 – 8:05 PM Closing remarks and information about Day 2

Day 2 | Sunday, September 13

Field trips in the Maryland Piedmont and Western Shore

Field trips at various locations in the Maryland Piedmont and Western Shore. Conference Registrants will receive an email with the complete list in order to choose a field trip or workshop.

1. Soldiers Delight Serpentine Barrens: A short hike across 9000 years (Randallstown MD)
2. From Invasion to Inspiration: The Possibility of Urban Restoration Projects (Cheverly & Hyattsville MD)
3. Exploring Blockhouse Point Conservation Park (Poolesville MD)
4. Asters of Patuxent Wildlife Refuge Reserve (Laurel MD)
5. Greenbelt Forest Preserve (Greenbelt MD)
6. Quad-busting at White's Ferry and C&O Canal with the Maryland Biodiversity Project (Poolesville MD) 
7. Fairland Regional Park Meander (Laurel MD)
8. The Humane Gardener Sanctuary Tour (Sykesville MD)
9. Black Hill Regional Park, Cabin Branch and Hamilton Trail Loops (Boyds MD)
10. Rachel Carson Conservation Park (Brookeville MD)
11. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). (Edgewater, MD)
12. Suitland Bog Tour (Suitland MD)
13. Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (Beltsville MD)
14. Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary on the Patuxent River (Lothian MD)
15. Fall Meadow at Locust Grove Nature Center (Bethesda MD)