Calvert Nature Society

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

Calvert Nature Society is dedicated to the development of a responsible environmental ethic in all people by providing opportunities for environmental education and compatible recreation; and the preservation of the natural heritage of Calvert County primarily within the mission of the Calvert Count...

05/29/2026

Gather round the campfire at one of our 2026 Campfire Programs at Kings Landing Park.

Step into the glow of the campfire for a cozy, family-friendly evening of wonder. Each month brings a new theme - wildlife tales, fireflies, starry skies and more.

Bring a blanket or your own camp chairs. We’ll provide the marshmallows for toasting.

*Fireflies Fireside: Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 pm
*Moths and Moonlight: Saturday, July 25 at 9 pm
*Firelight and Falling Stars: Saturday, August 15, 9 pm
*Pirate Tales: Saturday, September 19, 6:30 pm
*Going Batty: Saturday, October 10, 6 pm
*Meteors and Marshmallows: Saturday, November 14, 6 pm
*Cool Yule Campfire: Saturday, December 19, 5 pm

Registration is required, starting with Fireflies Fireside, at the link in the comments.

Calvert Nature Society is dedicated to the development of a responsible environmental ethic in all people by providing opportunities for environmental education and compatible recreation; and the preservation of the natural heritage of Calvert County primarily within the mission of the Calvert Count...

05/23/2026

Good to know.

Ticks don't fall from trees. They can't jump. They can't fly. They climb grass blades, extend their front legs, and wait for something warm to walk past.

The tick climbs to the tip of a blade at ankle to knee height, anchors with its hind legs, and spreads its front legs wide. Sensory structures on the front legs detect carbon dioxide, body heat, and vibration. When a host brushes the vegetation, the tick grabs on.

Then it crawls upward — sometimes for hours — until it reaches bare skin. The tick on the back of your neck started at your ankle.

🌿 What actually works:

- Tuck pants into socks — the grab happens at ankle height
- Permethrin-treated shoes and pant legs neutralize ticks at the contact zone
- DEET or picaridin on exposed skin blocks the heat signature they follow
- Tick check after every outing — armpits, hairline, behind ears, waistband
- Mowed paths through tall areas reduce the questing zone
- Ticks concentrate at edges — where vegetation meets open ground, trail margins, fence lines

The myth is one of the most persistent in outdoor recreation. She was never in the tree. She was at your feet 🌿

05/23/2026

We’ve seen some unusual situations with wild animals over the years so have learned to never say never. However, when a caller reported that a marmot was living in her attic, we were a little skeptical. But here’s the evidence- this marmot had the audacity to not only chew a hole in the roof and stick her head out like she pays the mortgage, but also chew through wildlife screen placed over the hole, then chewed a second hole in the roof when the first was covered with metal!

While this is extreme, it isn’t out of the ordinary for small mammals this time of year to find their way under your deck, into crawlspaces, or garages and sheds to make nests and have babies. If you find yourself with a wildlife roommate, check out WDFW’s web page on Evicting animals from buildings at https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/nuisance-wildlife/evicting. Or you can hire a wildlife control operator (WCO) to do the work for you. We have a list of WCOs at https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/nuisance-wildlife/wildlife-control-operators.

It was a WCO that finally evicted the stubborn marmot roommate. It managed to avoid three traps in the attic but eventually wandered out and into a trap with a one-way door that had been secured to the roof. End of story? No. Apparently this marmot didn’t know the meaning of “one way” because it somehow got out of the trap. The homeowner and WCO were equally stubborn though and the marmot was finally confined to a trap it couldn’t get out of. The attic was checked to make sure the marmot hadn’t left any babies behind and nothing was found.

Photo: A marmot sticks its' head out the hole in the roof of a Spokane-area home. Photo courtesy Trevor Smith.

05/09/2026

Check this out! It’s our very own Karyn Molines playing fiddle with the bluegrass band Rockfish at Brewgrass in the Barn, a fundraiser for Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary on the Patuxent River.

05/06/2026

Do you know what a Swamp Candle is? It is a nick name for Prothonotary Warblers, and we have them at Battle Creek Cypress Swamp.

Join naturalist Gene Groshon on Saturday, May 23rd from 8:30am to 10:30am for a hike around the Nature Center boardwalk as you learn about this amazing bird and how you can help with our banding project underway to study them.

Please register in advance at the link in the first comment.

Photo credit: Calvert Steward Jason Avery

05/01/2026

Here’s a clear and succinct how to for planting a butterfly garden from the Chesapeake Bay Program. There are plenty of resources available to help you choose your plants.

Planting a butterfly garden is a great way to attract and support wildlife while adding green spaces to a yard.