Large-scale cicada emergence, with periodical broods crawling out of the ground every 13 or 17 years, capture widespread attention when tens of thousands can mob en masse onto a single tree. But even one cicada, emerging from its shell, is fascinating in itself. Related Cicadas: Sounds of summer The process can take an hour. Cicada […]
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Garden party, solar food dehydrator demo...
IOWA CITY – Two events coming up in Iowa City in coming days offer great opportunities to expand your gardening knowledge. This Sunday, Aug. 24, New Pioneer Food Co-op is hosting a garden party at Earth Source Gardens. The following day, Aug. 25, Backyard Abundance is offering a solar food dehydrator demonstration, to put all […]
Fish discovered in Mississippi thought t...
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has found a fish thought to be long-gone in the state. State and national scientists are working to positively identify the fish, believed to be a longear sunfish, the DNR reported. If proven to be the species, this would be the first time in more than 80 years that […]
Two acres of color: Linn County daylily ...
Garden lovers who can make it to one of the open gardens hosted this month by Zora Ronan in rural Linn County are in for a treat. Zora has more than 500 different varieties of daylilies in her gardens, just west of Central City, along with many gorgeous lilies, and will open her gardens to […]
Grandma’s miracle flower
Our challenges in saving the family farm continue and it looks like, despite all of our efforts, it probably won’t remain intact. I found one message of hope, however, in all of the despair that surrounds losing something you love. A little background: our uncle was living on the family farm in rural Chelsea, Iowa, […]
Large mountain lion killed near Iowa hom...
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is reporting today that a large male mountain lion was shot and killed in western Iowa. Mountain lions have no legal wildlife protection in Iowa; the same as black bears.
Photo gallery: Last gasp of autumn
I feel somewhat cheated. After enduring an especially hot Iowa summer, it seems we’ve jumped straight into winter. It’s rare that we would get a full three months of fall, as the calendar dictates, but it would have been nice to have more than a week or two, (or was it just a day or […]
Regional orchid show in Cedar Rapids to ...
This is still a few weeks away, but it’s going to be a big event, so mark your calendars! It seems that orchids are becoming more widespread and available just about anywhere. This event can help with any questions you might have about raising these exquisite flowers. Here is more from the Eastern Iowa Orchid […]
Hummingbird moths provide late-summer bu...
If you’re being buzzed in the garden by something much larger than a bee, take a closer look. Hummingbird moths, the common name for hawk or sphinx moths, appear to be abundant this year. Perhaps Iowa’s drought is offering prime weather conditions for these fascinating insects. Often mistaken for a hummingbird, the rapid pulse of […]
“Flood cats” still in need of help in Ce
Cindy Hadish/ Homegrown Iowan CEDAR RAPIDS – In 2008, epic flooding left more than 1,000 homes and businesses vacant in Cedar Rapids, leading to an explosion in the city’s stray cat population. Five years later, a dedicated core of volunteers remain active in seeking help for the city’s “flood cats.”