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Pawpaw is the "understory fruit tree".  Your Pawpaw Patch (Butterfly Farm) will do best when it is hidden under the shade of other trees.  

Site selection  

• Always talk with your parents about the best place to plant your butterfly farm.  Hidden and out of the way is best.

• Pawpaw is the understory fruit tree.  This means you want to start your butterfly farm where it can grow in the shade of other trees.    

• Mowing? Make sure this area is out of the way from mowing or other farm equipment.  Your butterfly farm needs to be tucked away and hidden from both the sun and farm activities.

• Between the fields?  Can your pawpaw patch be planted in a drainage area or draw between farmed fields?  This is a micro-habitat and a desirable location.

• Does your home have a fenced in lagoon?  Pawpaw will not grow in water but if this is away from mowing it could work for you.

• Pawpaw Patch = two or more genetically different pawpaws planted in close proximity.  However it is OK if you only have one pawpaw tree.

• Already have a pawpaw patch?  Please join our butterfly farm and consider transplanting sucker trees in other locations nearby.  Butterfly farming is a team sport and the more players we have the better our butterfly farm will perform. 

 

The patch feature, sharing is caring.

• Get 2 Pawpaw trees if possible.  It is OK to start with one.  The hard part is getting a tree in the ground.

• Starter Kit – Basic supplies to start   

• Swag – Promote the PawPaw Cause   

• Sharing is caring.  Your pawpaw trees will become a "patch" which can be shared with your neighbors.  Farming the zebra swallowtail is a team effort.  In the fall and winter you can dig up other sucker trees and transplant which makes more farms. 

• Welcome to the zebra swallowtail butterfly farm. 

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Click Here To sign up and Join

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and... 

Welcome to the zebra swallowtail butterfly farm.