Asimina triloba, commonly referred to as the Pawpaw, is a deciduous fruit tree native to the eastern, southern, and mid-western United States. Pawpaw is one of the northern most representatives of its family, Annonaceae, as most relatives are focused in tropical regions. The common name is likely a variation of Papaya given by English speakers […]
Bernheim at 90: Bringing Bernheim Home with You
Every place you visit and love becomes a part of you. You might say that those places go home with us. They become, as Bernheim’s Education Director Whitney Wurzel likes to say, part of our hearts’ geography. Loved places shape the way we see the world. They add focus and heighten awareness to our own […]
It's Pawpaw Blooming Time
Asimina triloba, or Pawpaw, are blooming here at Bernheim Forest. Pawpaw is a small shrub that grows in the understory of mesic forest and small woodland openings. It can grow between 10 to 20 feet, or sometimes as high as 30 feet. It blooms in spring from April to May, and will produce fruit in […]
The Bugs of Bernheim: Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly
Recently, I discovered bird droppings on a Pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba) in my backyard. Upon closer inspection it turns out, they were young caterpillars of one of my favorites, Zebra Swallowtail butterflies. I was only momentarily torn between our native Pawpaw tree, which is the only temperate representative of an otherwise tropical plant family, and […]
Tales from the Bent Twig Trail: Slow and Steady Does It
My year of writing this blog is ending. It’s been a wonderful journey, providing me the opportunity to slow down, pay attention, and share with you some of my discoveries on this one small wooded trail. If you have joined me on this journey, along the way we have witnessed the turning of the great wheel, […]