Nature Forward

Nature Forward Nature Forward is the longest-serving independent environmental organization in the DC area. Grounds are open dawn to dusk, 7 days a week.

Nature Forward reserves the right to moderate comments on our website and social media channels to ensure content reflects our values and our commitment to inclusivity. Hate speech of any kind will be deleted.

Learn to build community power for data center reform!Nature Forward invites you to learn about the major impacts of dat...
08/27/2026

Learn to build community power for data center reform!

Nature Forward invites you to learn about the major impacts of data center development and how you can advocate for more responsible and sustainable data center development in your community.

This course, Building Community Power for Data Center Reform, includes seven virtual sessions led by leading researchers, scientists, and advocates involved in the movement for more sustainable data center development.

Courses begin September 15, 2026. Space is limited. Sign up today!

https://natureforward.org/data-center-courses-2026/

What’s at Woodend this Wednesday? Legumes 🫛! The legume family (Fabaceae) makes up 7% of flowering plants with about 19,...
08/26/2026

What’s at Woodend this Wednesday?

Legumes 🫛! The legume family (Fabaceae) makes up 7% of flowering plants with about 19,000 known legume species. Today we are highlighting some of the legume species you can find here at Woodend.

Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) and Maryland senna (Senna marilandica) have yellow flowers and are typically found in meadow areas. Panicledleaf ticktrefoil (Desmodium paniculatum) has pink flowers and produces velcro-like seed pods as a seed dispersal mechanism.

We also have some woody legumes 🌳 such as black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). The one pictured doesn’t currently have flowers or fruits, but it can be recognized by its pinnately compound leaves, which are common in the Fabaceae family. Another woody legume is Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), which was the inspiration for our logo and is part of the non-nitrogen fixing Cercidoideae subfamily.

Most legumes form a symbiotic relationship with a bacteria 🦠 known as rhizobia, which infect the roots and form nodules where they fix nitrogen in exchange for carbohydrates. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for plant growth, but the atmospheric ☁️ N2 gas can’t be directly utilized by plants so it is often a limiting nutrient. Legumes overcome this issue through their symbiosis with rhizobia, which are able to convert the nitrogen into a usable form for the plant.

Come visit Woodend to see these legumes!

08/24/2026

Happy Monday! Today we are excited to introduce you to our new Chesapeake Conservation & Climate Corps, Rosalie🌱🥳

Happy last day of summer camp at Camp Woodend! Over the past 9 weeks, we ran 71 camps for K-12 graders and had an absolu...
08/21/2026

Happy last day of summer camp at Camp Woodend!

Over the past 9 weeks, we ran 71 camps for K-12 graders and had an absolute blast🥳 We caught frogs in the pond, hiked through our trails, explored and made countless discoveries, played lots of games, visited Rock Creek too many times to count, met many creepy crawlies, and made wonderful friends along the way.

Kids got to be kids and just enjoy summer, outside and free of screens. Thank you to everyone who made this summer awesome and we can't wait to see you next year💚🌱

August has been a busy month for Angie McCarthy, our Clean Energy Campaign Manager, and she has been advocating for resp...
08/20/2026

August has been a busy month for Angie McCarthy, our Clean Energy Campaign Manager, and she has been advocating for responsible data center development all over Maryland!

Last week, she had the opportunity to join legislators and partners at the MACO Conference in Ocean City to talk about the future of data center reform, battery storage, and carbon-free energy. Thank you to Delegate Lorig Charkoudian for hosting the Power Paddle, where we talked all things energy while enjoying the Bay! Shoutout to Rebecca Rehr of Maryland LCV for an informative presentation on data centers — congrats on the standing room only panel.

This week, Angie took state and local legislators on a tour of data center alley this week to demonstrate the impact of data center development on topics such as our community’s public health, the impact on transit oriented development, and colocation. We are thankful to Ben Brooks , Katie Fry Hester , Senator Karen Lewis Young, Delegate April Miller , Delegate Ken Kerr , Councilmember Kristin Mink , Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles , and Council Member Timothy J. Adams .

What’s at Woodend this Wednesday?? Yellow flowers 🌼🌻! There are many late summer yellow flowers in bloom at Woodend righ...
08/19/2026

What’s at Woodend this Wednesday?? 

Yellow flowers 🌼🌻! There are many late summer yellow flowers in bloom at Woodend right now. In the meadow we have Maryland senna (Senna marilandica), wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia, tall coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris), and flat-topped (Euthamia graminifolia). 

In our gardens we have our state wildflower, black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), and zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis). 

In the woods we have a native sunflower, woodland sunflower 🌻 (Helianthus divaricatus), and a state rare goldenrod, swamp goldenrod (Solidago patula). 

Be sure to come to Woodend soon to see all of our yellow flowers 🌻🌼 in full bloom!

Our nature travelers have returned home from Iceland✈️Earlier this month, Genevieve Wall, our Senior Naturalist, led tra...
08/18/2026

Our nature travelers have returned home from Iceland✈️

Earlier this month, Genevieve Wall, our Senior Naturalist, led travelers on a two week journey through Iceland’s striking landscapes. They witnessed the total solar eclipse, explored glaciers, waterfalls, and geysers, and spotted many kinds of extraordinary wildlife!

Pictured is the Arctic Riverbeauty, one of the 2% of Iceland’s plant species that has a clear North American origin (most are European), and the Northern Green Orchid, only found in Iceland and a tiny island in the Hudson Bay alongside some wonderful views and soup😋

08/13/2026

Here is a sneak peak of our new “Learn about a Treecosystem: What It Is and How to Plant One” video!

When you plant a tree with flowers underneath it, you are not only creating something beautiful to look at, you are providing essential space for our native wildlife to thrive. In this video, Allie Chamot, Nature Forward’s Garden Programs Manager, shows you how to plant what we call a treecosystem🌳🌻🐝

Watch on YouTube now: https://youtu.be/Bk-wYJpYT44?is=1WxEQ42IgTB-2EOZ

Our native honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a beautiful and beneficial alternative to non-native invasive honeysuc...
08/11/2026

Our native honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a beautiful and beneficial alternative to non-native invasive honeysuckles.

Commonly known as coral or trumpet honeysuckle, this fast-growing native vine has a long blooming season and is beloved by hummingbirds. It’s easy to grow in sun, whether climbing up a trellis or trailing on the ground, and supports pollinators. Stems can reach up to 20’ long.

In contrast, non-native invasives like Japanese and Amur honeysuckle outcompete valuable native plants and offer less nutritional value to wildlife. Removing these invasives is good for local ecosystems and good exercise! 💪🏼

Native honeysuckle:
🐝 Pollinator favorite
🐦 Bird favorite
🦋 Butterfly host plant
🦌 Deer resistant

08/10/2026

Happy Monday! Today we are talking about a native shrub in bloom, devil’s walking stick (Aralia Spinosa)!

Japanese angelica tree (Aralia elata)

Address

8940 Jones Mill Road
Chevy Chase, MD
20815

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13016529188

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Nature Forward posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category