On September 20, Wild Ones members enjoyed a guided walk through Rachel Carson Conservation Park led by Carole Bergmann, retired Montgomery County Forest Ecologist and Botanist. This beautiful 650-acre park, once a Quaker farm, is dedicated to the legacy of renowned environmentalist Rachel Carson, who lived and worked in Montgomery County. One of the park’s […] Continue reading "Guided Walk through Rachel Carson Conservation Park"
Great news! Seven additional invasive species have been added the Maryland’s Prohibited (from sale) List. Nurseries can still sell existing stock for up to two years but after that, sales will be absolutely prohibited. This brings the grand total of banned species to 20, in large part due to the work by the Maryland Native […] Continue reading "Invasive Plant Species Added to Maryland’s Prohibited List"
On June 25th, Geri gave us a wonderful fern workshop at Brookside Nature Center. She is a terrific teacher and we all learned so much! Geri served for 26 years as a Montgomery Parks Naturalist at both Locust Grove and Brookside Nature Centers. She describes herself as being ‘inordinately fond of all things green!’ In this […] Continue reading "Fern Workshop"
Featuring WO chapter members Cheryl B and Janet C who live at Leisure World in Silver Spring, Maryland, where they are working with management and residents to plant natives to support local bird populations Both avid birders, Cheryl and Janet helped to establish a bird club in September of 2025, the Purple Martin and Bird […] Continue reading "Creating Pollinator Corridors – Member Spotlight"
Read on to learn of a cheap, safe way to reduce mosquitoes in your yard with a DIY Mosquito bucket. Join the Mosquito Bucket Challenge! Continue reading "Mosquito Buckets of Doom"
Wild Ones is partnering again with the Less Lawn More Life Challenge, a free 12-week program helping people turn everyday spaces into real habitat. Each week offers one practical, expert-led action. It’s designed to be simple, approachable, and grounded in what actually works across different regions. Challenge begins: 📅 Thursday, May 7th 🕔 7 pm […] Continue reading "Less Lawn More Life Challenge begins May 7th"
Pru Foster shares the fabulous results from her winter sowing experiment with native seeds: This past winter, I once again tried winter sowing. I’ve been winter sowing for a few years now – in open pots, in milk jugs, and straight onto the soil. My results have been underwhelming. I got low germination rates, and […] Continue reading "Pru’s Winter Sowing Experiment "
Our chapter president, Pru Foster, recently published a article on photosynthesis in her blog. It is a fascinating dive into some of the marvels of photosynthesis that underpin life as we know it. The article covers the bizarre, including engulfed beings and spinning turbines, as well as the mind boggling scales at which various processes […] Continue reading "Making Sugar While the Sun Shines – Photosynthesis and Energy"
We are delighted to announce the release of a new, hands-on guide developed by chapter members: Growing Pollinator Corridors in Your Neighborhood. This guide offers actionable steps to increase native plantings in various community settings, including our streets, neighborhoods, schools, and places of worship. Our sincere thanks to the members of the Working Group for […] Continue reading "New! Guidebook to Help Increase Native Plantings in Your Communities"
The long awaited “Maryland Native Plant Guide: Piedmont Region” will be available for purchase at our March 1st speaker series “Working with Landscapers” at Brookside. The guides are being sold by the Maryland Native Plant Society with all funds going back to the the UMd Extension Office which produced this excellent resource. Guides will cost […] Continue reading "Maryland Native Plant Guide: Piedmont Region available at our March meeting"