The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality warning today for east-central Iowa. Officials noted that elevated fine particle pollution levels were recorded across the area this morning and those levels above EPA health standards are likely to persist in this area today.
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Tag: Iowa
Where to find Iowa-grown Christmas trees...
If you need help and direction finding an Iowa-grown tree for Christmas, the Iowa Christmas Tree Growers Association offers an excellent resource on its website. I found four tree farms that I didn’t know about previously in our area, just by typing in my zip code into the group’s “Find a Farm” link. Iowa Secretary […]
Happy Thanksgiving from Homegrown Iowan
When giving thanks this Thursday, remember your local growers and producers who make those delectable meals possible! I stocked up for Thanksgiving dinner at the indoor Mount Vernon Farmers Market on Saturday, where I bought stone-ground corn; sweet potatoes; carrots; squash; locally produced meats; kale and more. (The tantalizing chocolates from Mount Vernon Confections are […]
Where have all the monarchs gone?
Sad news about what some of us already suspected: the monarch butterfly population appears to be down this year at the insects’ overwintering site in Mexico. The Fall Migration News notes that only 10 trees were filled with the delicate orange and black butterflies this November at El Rosario Sanctuary, compared to 60 trees just […]
Winterizing your trees and Christmas tre...
It’s not quite winter, though our recent weather might fool those of us living in Iowa. The experts at Marion-based Trees Forever provide important information on how to care for your trees at this time of year, along with a Christmas tree guide to help you with that annual holiday tradition. Remember, the annual Trees […]
Trees Forever event to highlight connect...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Our friends at Trees Forever are accepting registrations for what promises to be an inspirational event. The annual “Our Woodland Legacy” symposium, set for Dec. 4 in Cedar Rapids, will focus on the interconnection between trees and other natural areas and our health. Here is more about the event:
Find recycling options on the Iowa Green...
This sounds like a convenient new resource to locate recycling options from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The Iowa Greenlist can help you find an alternative to disposing of unwanted items in the trash.
Top 5 Reasons to Shop at a Farmers Marke...
URBANA – I made baba ghanoush today, thanks to a short trip I made Saturday to the indoor farmers market in Urbana. The key ingredient, eggplant, isn’t easy to find in Iowa in November, but there it was, at Marion Moser’s table, along with squash, potatoes, apples, daikon radishes and organic Moser’s Garden popcorn. Now […]
Guest column: Holiday Plant Care
I had the opportunity to interview TV/radio host, author and gardening expert Melinda Myers several years ago when she was in Iowa for the Winter Gardening Fair. Just months later, she sent timely information on coping with flooded landscapes as Eastern Iowa was inundated by floodwaters. Melinda, who has a new book coming out this […]
Several thousand gallons of manure blows...
As new, large-scale hog confinement facilities are debated in Linn County, comes news from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on one of the potential side effects of this type of operation. Of note, the corporation involved in the manure spill, Maschhoff LLC, cites on its website the company’s environmental philosophy: “Our environmental team is […]










