Kara Krapfl puts on boots in front of her mother’s Iowa City home on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. The house, owned by Sharon Dooley since 1992, was Kara Krapfl’s childhood home. With her passion for nature and hopes of spending more time with her family, Kara Krapfl started Lovely Bunches, her flower business in Dooley’s backyard in 2020. Kara Krapfl is part of a larger movement of women working in leadership on farms. About 50,000 women are leaders, partners, and decision-makers across 86,000 farms in Iowa, as of March 2021.

Kara Krapfl waters plants she recently planted in her garden outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Kara Krapfl works from sometimes sunup to sundown watering plants, planting seeds, picking weeds, and working on other tasks to ensure a colorful garden for community members full of flowers ranging from vibrant cosmos to radiant sunflowers. “It’s really important for me to take care of my wildlife,” the business owner said. She said she really enjoys being around animals and loves the calamity of a flower business in rural Iowa.

Kara Krapfl chats with customer Mikaela Pyrch, 28, at the farm outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Kara Krapfl said there is something special about going out to the garden and picking flowers rather than buying them. “It’s such a great place,” Pyrch, 28, said while observing each detailed placement of the white, purple, and orange flowers.

Kara Krapfl’s youngest daughter Violet Krapfl, 6, throws grass to the family’s dog in a field near Dooley’s home outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Living in a rural area, Kara Krapfl said her children have a lot of fun and enjoy the freedom to be as loud as they want. “I don't have to worry about them going outside and making noise. They can kind of just do whatever they want,” she said.

Dustin Krapfl, Kara Krapfl’s husband, and the couple’s three kids — Rose, Oscar, and Violet — put chickens inside the coop in the backyard of the Krapfl family home outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Dustin Krapfl and the kids take their chickens inside the coop every night at the Krapfl home so their boisterous goat can roam free. The family has over 20 chickens, including a couple of roosters.

Kara Krapfl places flowers in a vase at The Brass Fountain, a restaurant in Solon, Iowa, on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Before working full-time on her flower business, she used to bartend at The Brass Fountain. She now comes to the restaurant almost every week since last summer to decorate the place with her flowers in charming blue vases.

Violet hugs Kara Krapfl in her garden outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Kara Krapfl worked late nights in numerous restaurants before planting her attention on her flower business and her family. When in the service industry, her children didn’t want their mom to leave them. She said she sometimes said goodbye to them over five times before she left for work. “[They] would sometimes chase after the car when I was leaving,” Kara Krapfl said. “As if it’s like the last time they’re going to see me in a week or so.”

Oscar and Violet watch as Rose feeds the family goat at the Krapfl home outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Kara Krapfl said she’s now with her children all the time during her business off-season in the winter, but the children miss their mom when the warmer seasons roll around and she gets back to work. “I get the question several times a day, ‘Dad, where's mom? When’s she coming back?’” Dustin Krapfl said.

Kara Krapfl walks with dogs along a mowed path in a field near Dooley’s home outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Along with her flower business, Kara Krapfl assists in her mom’s dog boarding business, which can sometimes bring in over eight dogs daily. The farm, which sits at over 100 acres, has a large area of tall grass where the family lets the dogs roam around and chase each other.

Dooley and Kara Krapfl have a conversation in Dooley’s garage outside of Iowa City on Saturday, July 16, 2022. Dooley also assists with Lovely Bunches and said being assistants to each other’s businesses works well, as it gives the mother and daughter duo the last say on decisions for their own businesses. “It's great because we are very able to be honest with each other,” Kara Krapfl said. “I can't even remember the last time we had a fight, even. We have disagreements, but that's as far as it goes, which is nice.”

Violet reads to Oscar and Dustin Krapfl before they go to sleep while Kara Krapfl finishes work in her garden outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Both Dustin Krapfl and Kara Krapfl enjoy reading or listening to their children read before they go to bed. “My youngest — she's learning to read, and she's doing amazing,” Kara Krapfl said.

Kara Krapfl rakes mulch in her garden outside of Iowa City on Saturday, July 16, 2022. “This is a full-time job,” she said. Despite the progression to where her business is now, Kara Krapfl is still thoughtfully working to advance the picturesque garden even more, including the decision to not use pesticides on her plants. “I'm always changing certain methods to be more Earth conscious and aesthetically pleasing,” she said.

Kara Krapfl sells a bouquet of flowers to Sara Pitcher, 38, at the Coralville Farmers Market on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Kara has been attending the Farmers Market in Coralville, Iowa, for a few weeks to gain exposure for the business, not necessarily to sell her flowers. “I’m a firm believer that everyone has to start somewhere,” Kara Krapfl said.

Dustin Krapfl watches the kids play on hay bales in the driveway of the Krapfl home outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. Dustin Krapfl said he enjoys watching the kids while Kara Krapfl works in her garden. “If I’m taking care of the kids so she can get more accomplished, I’ll do those kinds of things,” he said. In his childhood, Dustin Krapfl had always wanted to live on a farm. Now, he gets to live out that dream with his family.

Kara Krapfl and her family eat dinner at a picnic table in the backyard of Dooley’s home outside of Iowa City on Wednesday, July 20, 2022. The family said they cherish every moment together, and they feel lucky to be able to do so. “I feel fortunate and every day I know how lucky I am,” Dooley said. “I don't take it for granted.”