Yesterday I picked my first ripe pawpaws (Asimina triloba) of the year. The pulp was delicious. I then sliced the skins lengthwise and put them out skin side down on a plate in the shade by the front porch. Butterflies stopped by starting about 10 am. The most I saw of each species at any one time is listed below.
- 1 Silvery Checkerspot
- 1 Questionmark
- 3 Red Spotted Purple
- 2 Hackberry Emperor
- 1 Gemmed Satyr
- 2 Common Wood Nymph
Jim Nottke
Pfafftown, NC
The pawpaws in the Charlottesville area are still quite firm and green, with the texture and flavor of squash/pumpkin. With the seasonal changes varying so much with latitude, I imagine the regionwide phenology of this plant expresses itself with some delay as one tracks northward. I have experienced in some cases that a change in elevation of about 1000 feet procures a temperature reduction on the order of 2.5-3 degrees (F). The same happens with a northward trip of about 200 miles at the same elevation. This 2.5-3 degree shift can result in phenological events being delayed by as much as a week. With all of this as a hypothesis, maybe we'll see the ripening fruit this coming week up here in C-ville?
DSF
August 18, and the pawpaw fruit in C-ville is still not ripe at 600'.
The Zebra cats have built their chrysalises.