Wildlife Gardening is returning to Rash Field Park with a workshop series that offers the chance to learn, volunteer, and help make Baltimore’s waterfront greener than ever.

Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore will host Wildlife Gardening workshops at Rash Field Park every third weekend from June through October. Curious gardeners of all levels can learn, volunteer, and help implement conservation gardening methods across Baltimore’s iconic waterfront.

Wildlife Gardening helps the environment, creating a sustainable ecosystem for the creatures that live there. It helps fight climate change and matches the conservation approach that Waterfront Partnership uses in all its 10 acres of waterfront parks and habitat corridors.

Those attending the workshops can help their communities with the improved air quality their efforts will bring, along with better water quality, reduced flooding risk, promotion of biodiversity, and slowing down the negative impacts of climate change.

Registration for all workshops is free and for all ages. The Wild Gardening workshops will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the third weekend of every month from June through October.

Rash Field Park is located at 201 Key Highway, Baltimore, MD.

To register for one or more of the workshops, click this link.

Topics include “Birding and Backyard Blooms,” “Scales and Tales,” “Bugs and Butterflies,” and more. See below for more details and descriptions for each date.

Saturday, June 21, 2025 – “Birding & Backyard Blooms”

Birding & Backyard Blooms is an inclusive, low-key birdwatching event open to all experience and mobility levels. The event invites participants to observe resident and migratory birds with guidance from local wildlife biologist Sharon Dorsey. Blankets, chairs and binoculars will be available for those who don’t bring their own. Early registrants will receive a bird-friendly plant to help attract birds to their own backyards. There will be a special live animal experience with Uncle Steve the Turkey, presented by the Carrie Murray Nature Center, towards the end of this workshop.

Saturday, July 19, 2025 – “Scales & Tales”

Scales & Tales is a two-part workshop that invites participants to explore the wildlife of Baltimore’s waterfront. The experience begins with an interactive book reading led by local eco-artist Bridget Parlato, who will craft a collaborative story of harbor life using participants’ own tales. The workshop continues with a kid-friendly wildlife encounter led by two expert herpetologists from the National Aquarium, offering an up-close look at frogs, snakes and other creatures that call the waterfront home.

Saturday, August 16, 2025 – “My Indigo World”

My Indigo World with Rosa Chang is a two-hour hands-on workshop exploring the art and cultural history of indigo dyeing. Led by Baltimore artist and author Rosa Chang, participants will learn traditional Korean dyeing techniques while creating their own indigo-dyed ribbons as symbols of unity and peace. The session includes a special artist talk and book reading from My Indigo World, Rosa’s acclaimed picture book that delves into the science and symbolism of the color blue across cultures.

Saturday, September 20, 2025: “Bugs & Butterflies”

Bugs & Butterflies invites curious minds of all ages to explore the world of insects and butterflies at Rash Field Park. Urban ecologists and educators from the Maryland Science Center will guide participants through hands-on activities like close-up insect observation and nature journaling. The workshop continues with Adreon Hubbard’s interactive Monarch Migration Game, teaching the incredible 2,500-mile journey of monarch butterflies and how to support their survival by creating a Butterfly Waystation. Free native milkweed plants (Asclepias tuberosa) will be available to registrants while supplies last.

Sunday, October 19, 2025: “Filter Feeder Frenzy”

Filter Feeder Frenzy offers a hands-on look at the natural systems working to keep Baltimore’s harbor clean. Participants will meet live oysters, explore the Baltimore Oyster Project with Waterfront Partnership staff, and tour the organization’s active Oyster Gardens. The experience continues with a guided walk-through Rash Field’s Rain Gardens to discover the native plants that thrive in wet conditions, attract wildlife, and naturally filter stormwater.