Maryland Biodiversity Project

Maryland Biodiversity Project Maryland Biodiversity Project is cataloging all the living things of Maryland. Visit www.marylandbiodiversity.com.
(1)

We promote science, education, and conservation by helping to build a vibrant Maryland nature study community. Maryland Biodiversity Project (MBP) is cataloging all the living things of Maryland. Our goal is to promote education and conservation by helping to build a vibrant general nature study community. The project was started in June 2012 by Bill Hubick and Jim Brighton.

MBP MERCH DROP! Imagine all your naturalizing gear in the MBP tote, or all your hiking essentials in that cross body bag...
09/04/2026

MBP MERCH DROP! Imagine all your naturalizing gear in the MBP tote, or all your hiking essentials in that cross body bag! Or snuggled up in a MBP hoodie and some tea in your cute mug with your favorite biodiversity-supporting nonprofit logo! More is available on our Bonfire, like notebooks, water bottles, and t-shirts. Come to your next bioblitz decked out in MBP gear head to toe!

Check it out here:
https://www.bonfire.com/store/maryland-biodiversity-project-1/

Background picture:
Knothole Moss on American Beech in Howard Co., Maryland (6/20/2015).
Media by Richard Orr.

Climbing dayflower is a dayflower that grows in the temperate regions of the eastern hemisphere. It can be found in wood...
09/03/2026

Climbing dayflower is a dayflower that grows in the temperate regions of the eastern hemisphere. It can be found in wooded areas near water, but mostly can be sighted around disturbed areas like gardens and lawns. There are MBP records in three counties and Baltimore City despite its introduced range being widespread across the east and southeastern regions of the US. Keep an eye out for blue blooms in wet, shady areas from May to November.

Read more at the Maryland Biodiversity Project:
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/species/16051

Climbing Dayflower in Washington Co., Maryland (8/30/2026). (c) botanygirl, some rights reserved (CC BY).

This species of Ceroptres is a type of gall wasp, which are ovipositors. Females have a specific three-part organ that c...
09/02/2026

This species of Ceroptres is a type of gall wasp, which are ovipositors. Females have a specific three-part organ that can prepare placement and deposit eggs into a certain material. The wasp here is injecting its eggs into another gall, also making it an inquiline. In Latin, inquilinus translates to lodger or tenant, in context meaning that these wasp species are mostly parasitic.

See more at the Maryland Biodiversity Project:
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/species/23312

Ceroptres species in Montgomery Co., Maryland (10/5/2021). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY).

POV: You're enjoying the outdoors and all of the sudden, you see something you've never seen before! You scramble for a ...
09/01/2026

POV: You're enjoying the outdoors and all of the sudden, you see something you've never seen before! You scramble for a phone, camera, anything to get a snapshot, and by the time you're prepared to catch the shot, the wildlife is out of range. Shame you can't tell them to pose for the picture, but no worries, some of these blurry photos can still achieve an identification down to the family or genus level. This can still be useful in citizen science endeavors and we still include these contributions in our database. Check out these awesome pictures of a sighting of a Cheilopogon species in Worcester Co., Maryland (8/6/2022).

Read more at the Maryland Biodiversity Project:
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/species/23314

c) Derek Hudgins, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

The Long-tailed Salamander is found in the Piedmont and mountainous areas of western Maryland. Named for their extremely...
08/31/2026

The Long-tailed Salamander is found in the Piedmont and mountainous areas of western Maryland. Named for their extremely long tails, they are also easy to spot with their orange color and vertical, black spots.

Read more at the Maryland Biodiversity Project:
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/species/456

Long-tailed Salamander in Allegany Co., Maryland. (c) Brady O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

Many of our followers ask us often for guidance on what they can do to support biodiversity in their backyards. Sometime...
08/30/2026

Many of our followers ask us often for guidance on what they can do to support biodiversity in their backyards. Sometimes we get caught up in our passion for cataloguing Maryland's plethora of species, but we're turning our focus to other pillars in our mission: education and conservation. Homegrown National Park is a resource that we admire, and encourage you to explore their resources. Their website holds a vast Native Plant Resource directory, helps you identify keystone species in your area, and provides guidance on helping your native plants thrive.

Check out more at their website:
https://homegrownnationalpark.org/

Sometimes I think this team should be named the MBP Rarities Team! Look at the rare species that we found on our last qu...
08/30/2026

Sometimes I think this team should be named the MBP Rarities Team! Look at the rare species that we found on our last quad-busting trip to Waterford/Leesburg!

I knew it was going to be a good day when the first photo (middle) I took was the Russet-tipped Clubtail, S2 (State Rare). It was on the restaurant wall. You can't go wrong looking at the buildings at White's Ferry, always something different!
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/species/666

Down by the boat ramp, Beth Johnson photographed the Royal River Cruiser (top) which is listed as S3 in Maryland (Watch List). This was a new species for everyone.
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/species/693

Ken Clark was the only one who went down to the Leesburg quad. He photographed the Blue-faced Meadowhawk (bottom), another S3 species.
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/species/749

Other sightings include the S2 (State Rare) Eastern Ringtail, also by the buildings, and the Common Hoptree which is listed as S3, and is the first record for Montgomery County! It also happens to be a host plant for the S2 Giant Swallowtail.
Eastern Ringtail: https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/species/640
Common Hoptree: https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/taxon/81518
Giant Swallowtail: https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/species/490

Quad-busting at White's Ferry in Montgomery County:
Sunday, Aug 30th meeting at 9 am at the parking lot by the restaurant.

Hopefully, we will have enough people to split into 2 teams and go in both directions along the towpath. You can always come later on your own schedule and work the buildings, boat ramp/river area and parking lot perimeter. You can easily spend a couple hours there and find rarities! Please let me know if you will attend at [email protected], I will send a final email on Saturday to those who sign up with a target list and updated species total.

See you there!
Sue

August is almost over and that means we are a month into our morning flight counts with only three months to go! Read Be...
08/28/2026

August is almost over and that means we are a month into our morning flight counts with only three months to go! Read Ben's update on our blog from Dans Rock and be sure to visit before our season concludes.

Read the update at the Maryland Biodiversity Blog:
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/blog/?p=2109

Photo by Ben McGrew.

Address

PO Box 1316
Easton, MD
21601

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Maryland Biodiversity Project 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