Corwin Davis came up with the idea after watching what came to visit his blooming pawpaws one evening and finding it to be carrion flies. Might be a good opportunity to recycle dead squirrels and so allow them to contribute to the fruitfulness of the orchard and pay their keep.

NJBiology, The first time I ever saw a real paw paw tree was in the town of Paw Paw, Michigan. My sister moved to the region (SW Lower Michigan) for a new job, and rented an apartment in that small town. Since it was their namesake, many of these trees were planted throughout the town, in public places and in private places. Some were in sun, some in fairly heavy shade in the understory in parks, etc. All of them looked very happy. I was there in July, so they didn't have large fruit at the time, just about an inch long, looked like tiny bananas at that point. The point of my story is, I don't thik it matters much. Like the above poster said, they are an understory tree in nature, and do just fine in the shade. Dennis Michigan

I have 2 mature trees about 15 years old, as well as 5 younger trees in various stages (2 I just got through the mail about 3 weeks ago!). Here in SE Michigan, I've found them very hardy, attractive, and trouble-free. I don't think you have to do much with them in terms of pests, diseases, etc. Just plant in a good location -- rich, moist soil is best, but they'll do fine in heavy clay even, they DON'T like dry sand, though. And, fertilize them every year with some type of tree and shrub food. Keep it well-watered the first few seasons if there is drought. One thing, though -- you'll never get paw paws with ONE tree -- they're NOT self-fertile to my knowledge, so you're going to have to get a second cultivar in order to get fruit. And, they are pollinated by carrion flies and other dead-flesh feeding flies and beetles. There was an article in 'Michigan Gardener' a few years ago about a paw paw breeder in S. Michigan near Jackson who hung roadkill or large carp in each tree as the blooms opened to increase pollination. I like the idea, but found the roadkill thing too disgusting, so this year, I put some fly bait out of an Ortho fly trap in a dixie cup taped to each tree trunk, and it does appear that MUCH more fruit has set this year than in past years, although it's still a little too early to tell, since they are later in their 'June drop' than are many fruit trees. So, get that second tree ordered this fall or next spring, and in about 3 or 4 years, you should start getting paw paws. Dennis SE Michigan

Ed, The one paw paw got mowed down might re-sprout. Paw paw usually takes about 4-5 yrs to reach 7-8 feet tall and to produce. Mango is the most vigorous grower of all paw paws. Grafted American persimmon will take about 3-4 yrs to produce. Seedlings of D. Virginiana will take about 5-7 yrs to produce. You may want to protect these trees with wire cages to prevent them from being mowed down. Good luck!! Tony