Skip to main content

The Great Pawpaw Parade Celebrates Local Wild Treasures | 2021

The Pawpaw Parade was back again in 2021. It's time to celebrate local wild treasures!

Pawpaw Trees for Indigenous Communities

Local habitat is about to receive a major boost from its roots with this rare tree. Critical to the culture of many First Nations peoples in eastern North America, as well as a food source, the Pawpaw Tree has faced major habitat loss leaving behind only a few fragile pawpaw populations after European settlement.
 
Each year, the Pawpaw Parade has visited different Indigenous communities across the Carolinian Zone. This year, several First Nations communities in the Carolinian Zone will receive 10 trees to start a community Pawpaw orchard. 

The 2021 Pawpaw Parade included: 50 Native Plant Giveaways in pairs and singles (for lonely Pawpaws!)

Native plants, like the Pawpaw, will connect you to amazing local diversity and help you grow healthy, climate-smart neighbourhoods. The seeds you plant now will define our future.

New for 2021, applicants can also be selected for wild garden kits. Also, watch for our Pawpaw Popup Shop!

Pawpaw Popup Shop 2021

Want to make sure you get Pawpaws and Wild Garden Kits? This year we will be selling a limited number of Pawpaw trees and garden kits through our all-new Shopify storefront! 

The Great Pawpaw Parade 2021 is HAPPENING!

Track your garden from September 1 to September 30, 2021

The In The Zone Garden Tracker is a fun, easy way to live green and measure your positive impact. Register your property, fill out a Garden Tracker survey, and submit your Pawpaw application. See the Carolinian Canada Giveaway Guidelines for complete eligibility requirements.

Track Your Garden

Join thousands growing Canada's Biggest Wildlife Garden! Join the Parade and get free climate-smart garden guides.

“It would be amazing to have rare Pawpaw trees that I was caring for and watching for several years and then finally seeing the fruits of my labour!” - Seth Goyal, 13 years, Mississauga

Eligibility

In 2021, we are giving away Pawpaw and Wild Garden Kits.

Connect with Diverse Stories

Growing even just one native plant, like a Pawpaw, White Oak or Butterfly Milkweed helps to reverse centuries of habitat loss and decolonize our landscapes. The Pawpaw Parade shares stories and seeds for a healthy green future across the Carolinian Zone.

Track your garden with In the Zone between September 1 - 30, 2021 and fill out the Pawpaw Parade giveaway application. See the Carolinian Canada Giveaway Guidelines for complete eligibility requirements.

Join Carolinian Canada's mailing list

The Great Pawpaw Parade is HERE! Get all the updates on the Parade and other Carolinian Canada programs...

[[nid:1495]]

If you previously unsubscribed, please click here to contact us if you would like to re-subscribe.


About the Pawpaw Parade

Grow Healthy Climate-Smart Neighbourhoods for Everyone

The Great Pawpaw Parade supports and celebrates the passionate people growing Canada’s Biggest Wildlife Garden connecting Toronto to Windsor across the Carolinian Zone. Degraded and fragmented ecosystems make the Zone highly vulnerable to pollution; climate impacts like drought and flooding; and new diseases. Marginalized communities are often the hardest hit by climate change and loss of healthy ecosystems. It’s a dire situation but native plants, like the Pawpaw, can help to decolonize the landscape, save wildlife, build community and grow ecosystems everywhere. (Pssst... Diversifying with any native plant is climate-smart!) We envision a world where everyone can step their door and be immersed in nature; where communities thrive because of healthy, resilient landscapes.

Discover Local Rarities and Local Stories

The Pawpaw is a small, rare tree that bears North America’s largest native fruit, with tones of mango and banana. It connects diverse stories from First Nations who have grown it for centuries; to farmers and rural landowners who protect remnant wild stands; to foodies who are ‘re-discovering’ the delicious fruit for urban agriculture. The Zebra Swallowtail, disappeared from Canada, needs the Pawpaw tree to survive. Canadian gardeners can help it adapt to climate change by providing critical habitat at the northern edge of its range. Native plants help local pollinators thrive and respond to a shifting climate. Meanwhile, Carolinian Canada sees it as hope for the future, representing 1,500 local wild plants essential to healthy local environments and help to grow equal access to healthy ecosystems and nearby nature for everyone.

Join the Parade at Home

Carolinian Canada’s Great Pawpaw Parade starts with our on-line community sharing stories and applying for giveaways. Starting in September the Parade will take to the road late: Ben Porchuk, Ecologist with Carolinian Canada will share wild treasures across the Zone, connecting stories from diverse communities. Parade connections are by invitation and follow Covid-19 safety protocols.

The Pawpaw Parade Story

In 2019, the 1st Pawpaw Parade was a pop-up that exploded with interest, attracting over 1,000 virtual participants from diverse communities who wanted to adopt and celebrate the local wild and delicious Pawpaw. The Parade was featured on CBC, the Weather Network and more.

Since it is a rare plant, numbers are limited, but Carolinian Canada’s network of 300 groups and 5000 volunteers is working to reverse that trend for Pawpaw and other native plants that are essential to local healthy environments for wildlife and people.

Carolinian Canada aims to make this a fall tradition so we can all grow a green future, together.

Track your garden with In the Zone between September 1 - 30, 2021 and fill out the Pawpaw Parade giveaway application. See the Carolinian Canada Giveaway Guidelines for complete eligibility requirements.

Supported by

Ontario Trillium Foundation
In The Zone

The Great Pawpaw Parade is part of In The Zone

Count yourself in to join 5,000 volunteers growing a healthy Zone at home.

Track your garden to get free garden guides.

*conditions apply