A butterfly conservation effort......
Welcome to Santa Fee Pawpaw. We specialize in the pawpaw, the state fruit tree of Missouri and the essential host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly.
Our backyard initiative aims to provide you with host trees to help promote zebra swallowtail populations. Together, we can increase the presence of these butterflies in our county and improve erosion control while celebrating Missouri's unique state fruit tree.
We are excited to announce our first 4-H training in June 2027, which will host 100 students.
Inspired by Mary McDevitt’s 4th-grade civics project in St. Louis, Missouri—which successfully recognized the pawpaw as the official state fruit tree—our program will highlight three key aspects of the pawpaw:
1. It is an understory fruit tree that thrives when planted in draws or drainage areas (shade).
2. It serves as the exclusive host plant for the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly.
3. Planting a pawpaw tree creates a "pawpaw patch," effectively establishing your own butterfly farm.
Additionally please welcome (coming soon) a physical roadside plant stand is coming soon to downtown Santa Fe, MO. Visitors will be able to pick up pawpaw trees and register for a pawpaw patch number by joining our zebra swallowtail butterfly farm.
Because of the way pawpaws grow, this initiative will make it easy to distribute trees to neighbors and grow our community in the future. Butterfly farming is a team sport; when you support your neighbor’s farm, you are ultimately supporting the success of your own.
We look forward to growing together.
Pawpaw trees are unique and fascinating fruit-bearing native to North America. They are known for their large, tropical-looking leaves and produce the largest edible fruit to the continent, which has a creamy texture and a flavor reminiscent of banana, mango, and melon. Pawpaw thrive in well-drained soil and partial shade, making them an excellent addition to gardens and orchards. With their attractive foliage and delicious fruit, they offer both aesthetic and culinary appeal. Best of all it is the host plant of the zebra swallowtail.