🎃 It’s Friday and nearly October (!). I suppose that means Halloween’s coming.

Do you decorate for Halloween? When do you put up your decorations? Reply and tell me. (I read them all!)

Time for Only in Iowa: U-pick farms, this week’s dog photo, a comeback in Positively Iowa, and news you can use.

Pick your perfect apple at these Iowa orchards and farms. (Getty Images/Unsplash)

Fall means apples, and what better way to get a taste of the season than choosing your own?

For 2026, several Iowa orchards are already reporting apples ready for picking, while others will continue bringing new varieties into season throughout October. If you want to make a day of it, many orchards also offer pumpkin patches, farm markets, baked goods, and other seasonal activities.

Here are some Iowa U-pick farms to put on your fall bucket list.

Support local journalism today.

Iowa Starting Line is here to bring you the local stories that matter most to Iowa, from decisions made at the State House to the issues shaping communities across the state.

Through Sept. 30, we’re raising funds to keep that work going. If you value this newsletter and want to support independent local journalism, chip in today.

Every contribution helps us keep reporting the stories that too often go uncovered. Thanks for reading and for being part of the ISL community.

Linn County resident Ann Hammond spotted a rusty patched bumblebee in August 2021, a few years after beginning native habitat restoration on her property. (Ann Hammond / Courtesy of Monarch Research / IPR)

If you live in many parts of eastern Iowa, you can help bring back a federally endangered bumblebee native to our state.

Here’s how.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Amie Rivers. It was edited by Paula Solis.

Iowa Starting Line is free for everyone. Your support makes our work possible.