Commune with nature. Clean up your community. Celebrate spring. A new season promises warmer weather and more opportunities to get outside. Here's a list of ideas for welcoming the new season from IPR's digital team.
Start planning your garden
There's no better way to celebrate spring than to think green. Starting a garden can be intimidating for newcomers, but it doesn't have to be! The team at IPR's Garden Variety podcast has put together a guide with everything you need to know about getting started in the garden — from what to plant to where you should plant it.
Go get that green thumb growing!
Go searching for spring ephemerals
The first green of spring is often spotted first in the grounds of Iowa's woodlands. If you look closely, you'll find a wealth of wildflowers that only grow for a short time before the tree canopy fills in and blocks the light. These wildflowers, called "spring ephemerals" are the officials harbinger of the new season.
IPR has a field guide filled with some of the most common flowering ephemerals to keep an eye out for as you embark on your first hikes of the new season.
Pick up pickleball
It's not the fastest-growing sport in America for nothing. This tennis/ping pong cross-over is a great way to exercise and build agility without being too hard on your body. You can get your hands on a pair of entry-level paddles and balls for about $20 — a good price to try out the sport at your local court. Grab a friend to play with or join a local club to learn while making new friends!
🔍 Looking for a local court? Last year, IPR put together a helpful map of new courts around the state, including some indoor spots to try out when the spring weather gets wonky.
Take a ride
Whether you're training for RAGBRAI or just want a way to explore the state, cycling offers the perfect mix of exercise and fun. And it's a great time to get out: This last fall, a long-anticipated connection between two major Iowa trails opened, creating one of the longest paved trails in the U.S.
The Raccoon River Valley and High Trestle Trail connection creates a nearly continuous 120-mile paved loop in central Iowa.
And there's no need to go the full 120 miles. The best part of biking is the ice cream shops you stop at along the way. IPR's Chatter newsletter asked big fans of bike shorts for their favorite ways to break up this trail.
Plan a hunting trip — for morels
Mushroom foraging is a classic way to connect with nature. And each spring, Iowans across the state scamper off to their secret spots to find that spongey, umami-packed delicacy that is the morel mushroom. The mushrooms are rare and ephemeral, but not impossible to find.
We've put together some tips on where to look and what to look for as you seek out your own secret mushroom spot.
