By Cindy Hadish/for the Radish Magazine DEWITT – Switching from his corporate job to life on the farm has its challenges, but Anthony Troy has no regrets. “It’s the best decision of my life,” says Troy, 36, who left his sales career in 2014 to move to the family farm in rural DeWitt, along with […]
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Author: Cindy
Photo gallery: Czech Iowan in Nebraska
WILBER, Neb. – This town of just under 2,000 people swells by the tens of thousands during the annual Wilber Czech Festival in August. While Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the site of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Wilber lays claim as the “Czech Capital of the USA.” During this year’s festival, from […]
Surprise lilies make summertime appearan...
Like clockwork, surprise lilies, also known as “naked ladies” are making their annual appearance. The perennial flowers sport lovely foliage early in the season, which disappears with the summer’s heat. By late July or early August, pink flowers tinged in blue simultaneously pop up, seemingly out of nowhere. Other names, including magic lily and resurrection […]
Cedar Rapids sends message to Donald Tru...
Carrying signs reading “Dump Trump” and “Stop Racism & Hate,” dozens of protesters gathered outside the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Cedar Rapids, where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke July 28. The crowd grew in numbers along First Avenue SE, as rush hour was underway. Motorists honked their support, leading to cheers from the […]
“Staggering surprise” Cedar Rapids woman
Wanda Lunn spent last week in Chicago at the North American Lily Society Show & Convention, where more than 200 of the best lily stems in the United States and Canada competed. Several of the lilies she brought to the show from her Cedar Rapids garden won ribbons, but one, she said, brought “a staggering […]
What is that blue flower on Iowa’s roads
If you drive on nearly any Iowa county road and many main highways, too, you’ve undoubtedly seen light blue flowers brightening the roadside. Although not native to North America, chicory (Cichorium intybus) has become ubiquitous in the state, and many others, as well. According to Polk County Conservation, Chicory was introduced to North America from […]
Pond tours, garden walks blooming in Eas...
With abundant rain this season, gardens in Eastern Iowa are particularly lush this year and opportunities to enjoy the area’s beauty are coming up this month. The Linn County Master Gardeners 2016 Garden Walk will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 9, followed by the Eastern Iowa Pond Society’s Pond and Garden Tour […]
Tree removals planned to make way for tr...
By Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan CEDAR RAPIDS – More than a dozen trees will be removed in Daniels Park, as plans move ahead for the CEMAR Trail project. The 24-acre park, bordered by Oakland Road, J Avenue, H Avenue and Maplewood Drive NE, is known for towering oaks and other trees that provide abundant shade for […]
Iowa “Corn Bear” believed to be killed i
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported today that a black bear, believed to be the “corn bear” seen recently on social media, was killed in a traffic collision. Learn about bear sightings in Iowa and read on for more about the traffic accident from the DNR: A young black bear was struck and killed […]
Japanese beetle watch begins
UPDATE (June 25, 2016) One day after posting this, I’ve seen the first Japanese beetles of the season. And of course, they’re after my raspberries! June 24, 2016 – It seems to be an especially bountiful season for raspberries, perhaps because of plentiful and timely rains in Iowa. But for the past decade or so, […]










