Eyes of Paint Branch
@eopbranch.bsky.social
Citizens for the stewardship of the Paint Branch watershed, a subwatershed of the Anacostia River and Chesapeake Bay
Facebook: http://t.ly/cRlgU
Facebook: http://t.ly/cRlgU
Thank you to our selfless volunteers who joined us today for our MLK Day Cleanup!! Together with @MontgomeryParks, we hosted this Cleanup at Cross Creek Club Local Park in Silver Spring. We removed 12 bags of trash, 8 bags of cans/bottles, and a discarded BBQ grill!
January 19, 2026 at 10:25 PM
Thank you to our selfless volunteers who joined us today for our MLK Day Cleanup!! Together with @MontgomeryParks, we hosted this Cleanup at Cross Creek Club Local Park in Silver Spring. We removed 12 bags of trash, 8 bags of cans/bottles, and a discarded BBQ grill!
NEXT WEEK: Join us and our partner @montgomeryparks.bsky.social for a 'Day of Service' Stream Cleanup! SSL hours!!
MLK DAY Monday, January 19, 2026
12:00PM - 2:00PM
Cross Creek Club Local Park
3530 Briggs Chaney Road
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Register here montgomeryparks.org/events/mlk-c...
MLK DAY Monday, January 19, 2026
12:00PM - 2:00PM
Cross Creek Club Local Park
3530 Briggs Chaney Road
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Register here montgomeryparks.org/events/mlk-c...
January 12, 2026 at 6:30 PM
NEXT WEEK: Join us and our partner @montgomeryparks.bsky.social for a 'Day of Service' Stream Cleanup! SSL hours!!
MLK DAY Monday, January 19, 2026
12:00PM - 2:00PM
Cross Creek Club Local Park
3530 Briggs Chaney Road
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Register here montgomeryparks.org/events/mlk-c...
MLK DAY Monday, January 19, 2026
12:00PM - 2:00PM
Cross Creek Club Local Park
3530 Briggs Chaney Road
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Register here montgomeryparks.org/events/mlk-c...
EOPB stream cleanup teams are featured in the Anacostia Riverkeeper 'Litter to Action' 2025 Report! Find the report here anacostiariverkeeper.org/resource-libra…
Thank you ARK for the support and collaboration!
Thank you ARK for the support and collaboration!
January 11, 2026 at 7:21 PM
EOPB stream cleanup teams are featured in the Anacostia Riverkeeper 'Litter to Action' 2025 Report! Find the report here anacostiariverkeeper.org/resource-libra…
Thank you ARK for the support and collaboration!
Thank you ARK for the support and collaboration!
Happy 2026 to our community and supporters, helping to conserve, educate, and protect in the Paint Branch watershed!
January 1, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Happy 2026 to our community and supporters, helping to conserve, educate, and protect in the Paint Branch watershed!
We had a last minute Cleanup at Pilgrim Hills Park today with host @anacostiariverkpr.bsky.social! A small but mighty group of volunteers braved the cold temps to pull cans, bottles, and trash from the parkland around the Paint Branch Stream.
December 27, 2025 at 10:16 PM
We had a last minute Cleanup at Pilgrim Hills Park today with host @anacostiariverkpr.bsky.social! A small but mighty group of volunteers braved the cold temps to pull cans, bottles, and trash from the parkland around the Paint Branch Stream.
Happy Holidays from Eyes of Paint Branch!
December 24, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Happy Holidays from Eyes of Paint Branch!
Thanks to our small group of stalwart volunteers, and our partner Anacostia Riverkeeper, we had a productive cleanup this morning at Valley Mill Special Park! After collecting trash, we sorted it to be weighed by category, in support of a student environmental grant project.
November 17, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Thanks to our small group of stalwart volunteers, and our partner Anacostia Riverkeeper, we had a productive cleanup this morning at Valley Mill Special Park! After collecting trash, we sorted it to be weighed by category, in support of a student environmental grant project.
EOPB partnered with Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church today for a Stream Cleanup at Hillandale Local Park, sponsored by @montgomeryparks.bsky.social! The PBUUC team provided a generous donation toward our environmental work, then ‘walked the walk’ and got their hands dirty with us!
November 9, 2025 at 9:57 PM
EOPB partnered with Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church today for a Stream Cleanup at Hillandale Local Park, sponsored by @montgomeryparks.bsky.social! The PBUUC team provided a generous donation toward our environmental work, then ‘walked the walk’ and got their hands dirty with us!
Our fall colors were not quite as vibrant this year due to the dry conditions, but the Maryland Upper Paint Branch stream valley still showed some pretty, seasonal tones!
October 30, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Our fall colors were not quite as vibrant this year due to the dry conditions, but the Maryland Upper Paint Branch stream valley still showed some pretty, seasonal tones!
Chestnut oak acorns
October 6, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Chestnut oak acorns
It’s raining acorns! (Sound on!) Chestnut oaks, including these on the UPB Trail in Burtonsville, are having a “mast year”, or a bumper crop of acorns. Many oaks mast every 2-3 yrs, but chestnut oaks mast every 4-5 yrs. Deer, wild turkey, squirrels and more will enjoy this feast!
October 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
It’s raining acorns! (Sound on!) Chestnut oaks, including these on the UPB Trail in Burtonsville, are having a “mast year”, or a bumper crop of acorns. Many oaks mast every 2-3 yrs, but chestnut oaks mast every 4-5 yrs. Deer, wild turkey, squirrels and more will enjoy this feast!
The Gray Hairstreak, a North American butterfly, uses its orange wingspot, together with hair-like projections on the hind wings, to mimic a head. When at rest, the butterfly animates the hind wing ‘eye’ and ‘antennae’. Duped predators lose as the hairstreak escapes the other way
September 26, 2025 at 1:44 PM
The Gray Hairstreak, a North American butterfly, uses its orange wingspot, together with hair-like projections on the hind wings, to mimic a head. When at rest, the butterfly animates the hind wing ‘eye’ and ‘antennae’. Duped predators lose as the hairstreak escapes the other way
American Jumpseed (Persicaria virginiana) is a native perennial common in the Paint Branch watershed. Its long, graceful stalk is dotted with small white flowers in late summer to early fall, and arises from deep green leaves. Ripe seedpods readily ‘jump’ up to several feet with the slightest touch.
September 22, 2025 at 2:43 PM
American Jumpseed (Persicaria virginiana) is a native perennial common in the Paint Branch watershed. Its long, graceful stalk is dotted with small white flowers in late summer to early fall, and arises from deep green leaves. Ripe seedpods readily ‘jump’ up to several feet with the slightest touch.
We had great community engagement today at the Burtonsville Day Festival! So many people are enjoying getting out on trails and caring for our local environment!
September 20, 2025 at 7:37 PM
We had great community engagement today at the Burtonsville Day Festival! So many people are enjoying getting out on trails and caring for our local environment!
Come see us at our booth this Saturday Sep 20, after the Burtonsville Day parade!
September 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Come see us at our booth this Saturday Sep 20, after the Burtonsville Day parade!
This past weekend, EOPB members joined the @montgomeryparks.bsky.social Weed Warriors at Maydale Conservation Park to remove non-native invasive weeds. Here are some of the native species we found there that were happy for the helping hand.
September 9, 2025 at 3:45 PM
This past weekend, EOPB members joined the @montgomeryparks.bsky.social Weed Warriors at Maydale Conservation Park to remove non-native invasive weeds. Here are some of the native species we found there that were happy for the helping hand.
EOPB members recently hiked the steep slopes of the Paint Branch Fall Line (just south of Rt 29). The Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line runs roughly 900 miles from NJ to AL. Waterways that cut across this line create dramatic gorges, ravines, rocky slopes, and finer sediment deposits.
September 2, 2025 at 3:04 PM
EOPB members recently hiked the steep slopes of the Paint Branch Fall Line (just south of Rt 29). The Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line runs roughly 900 miles from NJ to AL. Waterways that cut across this line create dramatic gorges, ravines, rocky slopes, and finer sediment deposits.
Green frogs in the Upper Paint Branch!
July 10, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Green frogs in the Upper Paint Branch!
THANK YOU to the community volunteers who came out for the Cross Creek Cleanup! Results from @montgomeryparks.bsky.social :
"4 trash bags, 6 recycling bags, and ~50lbs of oversized items. This means that you all removed around 300lbs of trash from the Little Paint Branch Watershed!"
"4 trash bags, 6 recycling bags, and ~50lbs of oversized items. This means that you all removed around 300lbs of trash from the Little Paint Branch Watershed!"
July 2, 2025 at 2:24 PM
THANK YOU to the community volunteers who came out for the Cross Creek Cleanup! Results from @montgomeryparks.bsky.social :
"4 trash bags, 6 recycling bags, and ~50lbs of oversized items. This means that you all removed around 300lbs of trash from the Little Paint Branch Watershed!"
"4 trash bags, 6 recycling bags, and ~50lbs of oversized items. This means that you all removed around 300lbs of trash from the Little Paint Branch Watershed!"
Join our colleagues, Friends of Maydale, THIS THURSDAY to hear about conservation and programming at Maydale Nature Center, our own little gem in the Paint Branch Watershed
mailchi.mp/560be29b5b50...
mailchi.mp/560be29b5b50...
June 2, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Join our colleagues, Friends of Maydale, THIS THURSDAY to hear about conservation and programming at Maydale Nature Center, our own little gem in the Paint Branch Watershed
mailchi.mp/560be29b5b50...
mailchi.mp/560be29b5b50...
We are once again partnering with @montgomeryparks.bsky.social for a STREAM CLEANUP at Cloverly Local Park! Join us in taking care of our local forests and streams:
WEDNESDAY JUNE 25, 2025 11:00a - 1:00p (SSL hours!)
Space is limited. Sign up here: montgomeryparks.org/events/clean...
WEDNESDAY JUNE 25, 2025 11:00a - 1:00p (SSL hours!)
Space is limited. Sign up here: montgomeryparks.org/events/clean...
May 28, 2025 at 5:24 PM
We are once again partnering with @montgomeryparks.bsky.social for a STREAM CLEANUP at Cloverly Local Park! Join us in taking care of our local forests and streams:
WEDNESDAY JUNE 25, 2025 11:00a - 1:00p (SSL hours!)
Space is limited. Sign up here: montgomeryparks.org/events/clean...
WEDNESDAY JUNE 25, 2025 11:00a - 1:00p (SSL hours!)
Space is limited. Sign up here: montgomeryparks.org/events/clean...
Our next wildflower walk is on Saturday along the Good Hope tributary. Hope you can join us!
May 8, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Our next wildflower walk is on Saturday along the Good Hope tributary. Hope you can join us!
We hope you can join us for a wildflower walk (and invasive plant ID workshop) this Wednesday at 6:30 pm, at Maydale Conservation Park. Please RSVP to info@eopb.org. A great way to welcome spring!
March 16, 2025 at 10:22 PM
We hope you can join us for a wildflower walk (and invasive plant ID workshop) this Wednesday at 6:30 pm, at Maydale Conservation Park. Please RSVP to info@eopb.org. A great way to welcome spring!
The yellow-bellied sapsucker is a woodpecker native to the United States. Tree sap is part of their diet in late winter.
Pictured are some of their sap wells. After it’s had its fill, other species can enjoy the sap, like this melanistic Northern Gray Squirrel. 1/30/25 Upper PB
Pictured are some of their sap wells. After it’s had its fill, other species can enjoy the sap, like this melanistic Northern Gray Squirrel. 1/30/25 Upper PB
February 5, 2025 at 3:08 AM
The yellow-bellied sapsucker is a woodpecker native to the United States. Tree sap is part of their diet in late winter.
Pictured are some of their sap wells. After it’s had its fill, other species can enjoy the sap, like this melanistic Northern Gray Squirrel. 1/30/25 Upper PB
Pictured are some of their sap wells. After it’s had its fill, other species can enjoy the sap, like this melanistic Northern Gray Squirrel. 1/30/25 Upper PB