That's pawpaw alright! Lucky you, if you can raise zebra swallowtails!

Sherry

Omg. I'm so excited because these were EVERYWHERE!! I expected it to be some rare tree. lol but unfortunately I looked on the leaves of prob 20 of these trees and seen munched leaves but not a single cat.

Omg. I'm so excited because these were EVERYWHERE!! I expected it to be some rare tree. lol but unfortunately I looked on the leaves of prob 20 of these trees and seen munched leaves but not a single cat.

Paw paw trees form huge colonies. If you see fruit that is a good sign that there are more than one tree there. Often a large area can be made up of one tree! Fruit collected from a few different trees is the best way to go. Actually, the best way to go is to find a couple different cultivars of decent size on-line. Then you can enjoy the fruit as well as the butterflies. Wild paw paw fruit is hit or miss. Cultivars have been selected for their fruit quality. Kentucky State University has a great program and lots of information on their website.

Elisabeth

Here is a link that might be useful: KSU paw paw program

I've never tasted one. But as a child we camped a lot and I remember finding a smashed fruit on the ground that smelled amazing. I'm positive there were more than one tree. They literally were on both sides of the trail which was along a river bank. Not every tree had fruit but there were a number of trees that did. I tried digging one up but I broke my shovel. So I think in the fall I'm going back to collect the fruit so I can plant as many seeds as I can. Do the trees need to be different cultivars in order for the fruit to taste good? I'm not that worried about getting fruit as much as I am about trying to raise some zebras!!! But it'd be cool to have fruits. I found one cat yesterday but it was dead and like dried up. ðÂÂÂ

I planted a few paw paws a couple years ago, hoping to get some zebras, but haven't yet. I have a cyber friend who also sent me a couple paw paws, so I could plant the seeds. I couldn't believe how many seeds it had. There was literally no pulp in there........so I don't imagine its the right variety to grow to eat.
Thanks for that link Elizabeth

I figured if I don't get a lot of eggs on mine. I'd just go pick eggs and cats off trees in the wild. I just moved into the city. So I rarely see any butterflies except the little white ones. I'm hoping my little oasis gives them a place to flourish.