Exploring & Preserving Maryland's Natural Treasures
Volunteers have been and remain central to our success. Volunteers lead outings, teach classes, share nature with the public, help at community events, build/design exhibits and educational materials, greet visitors, work in the gift shop, help with social media, take pictures, and much more. We are grateful for our volunteers that generously donate their time to […]
Cost: $0
By popular demand, NHSM is expanding our public exhibit hours. Come for the Ice Age in Maryland exhibit featuring our wooly mammoth, and linger for more fossils, seashells, gemstones, archaeological artifacts, and other treasures. You never know what the curators will bring out. Admission is always free! Join us between 10 AM and 2 PM!
Cost: $0
In anticipation of Darwin Day 2025, the NHSM Fossil Club is pleased to host Dr. Charles Breeze for an exploration of how cutting-edge advances in epigenetics and molecular biology shed light on mammalian evolution. By examining the role of regulatory elements—genetic “switches” that control gene expression—we’ll delve into how these elements drive evolutionary adaptations and […]
Cost: $0-0
Local naturalist George Foster will share his lifetime love for snail-killing or marsh flies, a family of highly evolved flies in the superfamily Sciomyzidae. Adult female flies lay their eggs in water or on vegetation near the water where snails are found. The larvae hatch and quickly attack freshwater or terrestrial snails or their eggs. Immature […]
Cost: $0-5
Winter at the beach. No scorching sand. No sticky sunblock. No annoying crowds. Only us and the birds. And the seals. And whatever else we find on this two-day exploration of the Delaware coast near Rehoboth Beach. We will spend Saturday on the lookout for wintering birds at Cape Henlopen State Park and the Indian […]
Cost: $80-95
Less than 10% of forest cover in the United States can be classified as old growth. These “elderly forests” are biodiversity hotspots because there are some niches only time can provide. Scientists are unsure if it is even possible for a secondary forest to return to a primary state, nor how long that would take. […]
Cost: $0-5
Is February too early for wildflowers in Maryland? Surprisingly, no. The Eastern Skunk Cabbage has evolved many traits over the last 72,000 years, and blooming in cold weather is only one of many abilities that make it unique in the plant world. Join us for a hike to learn more about how this remarkable plant […]
Cost: $20-25
Boots, gloves, winter tree key. Check! Time to learn about woody plant ID from Dr. Vanessa Beauchamp, associate professor in botany at Towson University. This field experience challenges us to look beyond the leaves and focus on other features used to distinguish tree species. Let’s learn about bark texture, leaf buds, and leaf and bundle […]
Cost: $10-25
Shells in Maryland are not just found in Ocean City! Join us for an afternoon on one of the nature’s most endearing symbols. Did you know that Maryland’s state fossil is a shell? Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae is an extinct species of snail that lived in Maryland 5 million years ago! We’ll have specimens for both […]
Cost: $0
The sun and moon rise every day or night. We take it for granted. But should we be complacent about our closest star and Earth’s only satellite planet? Let’s learn from Banneker Planetarium’s Director Dave Ludwikoski about the lunar eclipse and blood moon occurring in March and the solar superstorms predicted for 2025. Information will […]
Cost: $5-10