Noelridge News

Latest Volunteer / Member event

A free class on how how to make the perfect floral arrangement was held on Septmeber 24th. Twenty members received hands-on guidance and tips from Helen Venneman, a floral judge and volunteer on how to make arrangments from simple to complex to abstract using a variety of different flowers, different colors, and different sizes. Everyone went home with their own gorgeous arrangment!

Greenhouse Mural Completion - July 27, 2024

Jordyn Brennan from Minneapolis who installed Phase 1 of the Mural titled: “Natives – Beautiful and Beneficial” in 2022, returned to Noelridge Greenhouse to install Phase 2 of the mural titled: “Honoring Three Ecosystems”. This is the culmination of three years of hard work by the Friends of Noelridge to raise funds to pay for the mural. We hope visitors to the Greenhouse will embrace the I Spy theme of all the native plants and animals either with a self-guided tour or a scheduled guided tour.  The three children depicted in the mural are from the Noelridge Neighborhood. As the name suggests, the mural illustrates three unique Iowa native ecosystems including Oak Savannah, Tallgrass Prairie, and Prairie Garden. With a total of over 40 species, each ecosystem consists of its own unique native plants, pollinators and birds that call Iowa home.

2023 AAS COMPETITION GARDEN WALK: FIRST PLACE!!!

A WHIMSICAL GARDEN: SHOE-BEE-DEW!

As part of the 2023 AAS Competition, Friends of Noelridge and Greenhouse Staff hosted this themed garden walk on August 8th to showcase the All-American Selection Garden with winning plant varieties displayed in and around shoes (many donated by local celebrities) and bee decor. Kids were able to ‘plant’ their own pair of shoes and leave with the tire caterpillar in the updated Children’s Garden area. Turnout was great and we were awarded FIRST PLACE in this national competition !

And it's ALL because of our dedicated staff & volunteers.From conception to completion, our talented & hard working volunteers can be so proud of themselves. Thank you!

Thank you also to our sponsors: Great America Financial Services Corp, Fleet Farm, Bass Farms, Blooms Garden Center, Theisens, Natural Whimsey, Weiss Home Improvement, Cedar River Garden Center

Find out more about AAS and the winning entry at https://all-americaselections.org/project/first-place-noelridge-park-gardens-cedar-rapids-iowa/

See our winning video clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aridfYmlIc

Updates to the Children’s Garden

Summer of 2023 - Volunteers worked to paint and decorate pallets used to extend the fencing around the Children’s garden, and spruced up the old fence with new paint and colorful designs. A new ‘tire’ caterpiller was created and installed, with ‘legs’ consisting of planted children’s shoes. Kids participated in helping to design the caterpillar legs by choosing their own shoe and picking their favorite plant to add. ABC Stepping Stones were painted and lettered as a path through the garden, and Scarecrow Gene received an updated wardrobe!

New Butterfly Houses donated - July 15, 2023

Cub Scout Pack 39 designed, built, painted and installed 3 butterfly houses in pollinator areas and the Children’s garden area in the Noelridge Gardens. As part of their adventure, they had to complete one useful and fun project using wood. We think the scouts did a wonderful job! Thank you Pack 39 and Cameron, Charlotte, and Jack. We are glad you thought of us and love the new additions to the gardens!

New Garden Bench

The Friends of Noelridge had a new Granite Garden Bench installed the last week of May 2022 on the sight where the old wooden FON bench stood. The old bench was removed last year after incurring unrepairable derecho damage. We think the new one looks great! While you are in the park, wander over and have a seat to enjoy lunch, take in the flowers and gardens, or just people watch.

New Trellises and Arbors in the Gardens

Ryan Companies generously donated materials, labor and their time to design, build, and install 10 new replacement trellises and 2 new arbors in the Noelridge Gardens the week of June 6, 2022. We are grateful for their contribution to the Park Gardens and to the community. Please take a minute while you visit the gardens to view these beautiful new structures and watch for the flowers to grow on them as the summer progresses. And please thank Ryan Companies and their employees for their participation and realization of the value and pleasure that these attractive new additions will bring to the park and the public who enjoy them!

Noelridge Greenhouse 50 year Anniversary in 2022

The 50th year event was held on August 12, 2022! The weather was fabulous and there was an awesome turnout from the public of over 2000 people. The greenhouse entrance mural dedication took place at 4pm, kicked off by words from the Cedar Rapids Mayor and the Parks and Recreation Director. The Friends of Noelridge were so happy to be able to gift the gorgeous mural to the city, painted by mural artist Jordyn Brennan.

Children and adults alike enjoyed the mural unveiling, participated in a scavenger hunt, a plant giveaway, various games, rock painting, and were able to see Monarchs ready to be released.

We are so grateful to the following major sponsors for supporting this event. Please plan to support them and say thanks!

Ryan Companies Linn Area Credit Union Randy Kuehl Honda Fleet Farm

Good Earth Garden Club Cedar River Garden Center Revive Family Chiropractic Blairs Ferry Pet Hospital

Mary Moore Sona Christensen Family of Jim Venneman

Flutterby Acres

For several years we have been supporting out local Monarch Research Station by hosting a Monarch tent near the Noelridge greenhouse. A team of volunteers grow the milkweed and monitor the health of the caterpillars obtained through the Monarch Research Station. Keeping the tent clean and watching for disease and predators is key to successful hatching of the Monarchs.

Watching as the caterpillars devour the milkweed and turning into the chrysalis is an experience in anticipation. If you have not witnessed the development of the butterfly and the pure joy of finding butterflies attached to the sides and roof of the tent you are in for a true moment of joy.

More than beautiful, Monarch butterflies contribute to the health of our planet. While feeding on nectar, they pollinate many types of wild flowers and hence are a very important part of our ecosystem.  Monarch butterflies need milkweed plants to lay their eggs.   But did you know that in the past two decades the midwestern population of this iconic butterfly has decreased by more than 90%?  Adverse weather conditions and loss of habitat have severely stressed the monarch’s intricate life cycle which depends on the seemingly frail monarch completing a 2,000 mile southern migration each year.

The Monarch Research Project is headquartered in Marion Iowa.  Their mission is to add native pollinator habitat & reestablish the monarch population in Linn County, establishing a model for the whole country.  In their effort to increase the monarch population they have developed “Monarch Zones” in cities, counties and homes that are committed to their goal of repopulating the butterfly population.  Noelridge is proud to be one of the Monarch Zone sites in Cedar Rapids.

Each summer tiny caterpillars from the MRP are added to the Noelridge Monarch Zone. The Monarchs undergo complete metamorphosis, in which there are four distinct stages: Egg, Larva (caterpillar), Pupa & Adult.  Monarch development from Egg to Adult is completed in about 30 days.  Once the tiny “cats” were added to the tent, a team of volunteers provided daily checks of the tent monitoring  the condition of the milkweed, watching for predator’s & potential disease and maintaining the overall health of the Monarch’s.

Monarch rearing for the seasonat Noelridge cpmes to an end in mid-August with the final release of adult monarchs. Activities will pick up next year in early June with tent preparation and ‘cat’ release.

This project relies on the support of several volunteers.  If you are interested in helping with this monarch experience and learning more about all stages that are observed at the Noelridge Monarch zone, please fill out the volunteer form on the Volunteer tab of this website. A great activity for families and kdis of all ages!

 Free Little Library at Noelridge Park

You are invited to “check out” books this summer at Noelridge Park. Our library will stock both youth and adult books, and we hope our park visitors will enjoy taking, returning, and adding to the collection.