The 2020 Pawpaw Parade is over, but you can still be eligible for other native plant giveaways from September 2020- March 2021.
Shake off your isolation blues. It's time to celebrate local wild treasures!
Native plants, like the Pawpaw, will connect you to amazing local diversity and help you grow a healthy neighbourhoods. The seeds you plant now will define our future.
in 2020/2021, the Pawpaw Parade grew with more give-aways and more native plants. New for 2020, by joining the parade participants were automatically eligible for 6 months of 10K Challenge give-aways for climate-smart wildlife lovers.
explore The 10K Challenge and My Wild Green Home Climate-smart Passports
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
In 2020, we gave away Pawpaw, Cucumber Magnolia, Tulip Tree, Blue Ash trees and Wild Garden Kits.
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.
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 ithe 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 at the Parade Home
Carolinian Canada’s Great 2020 Pawpaw Parade started with our on-line community to share stories and apply for give-aways. The Parade took to the road on September 21-22, 2020: Ben Porchuk, Ecologist with Carolinian Canada shared wild treasures, connecting stories from diverse communities across the Zone. Parade connections were by drop-off or invitation and followed 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.
Supported by
The Great 2020 Pawpaw Parade is part of the 10k Challenge
What if you had six months to save the world but you're stuck at home?
Count yourself in to join 10,000 volunteers growing a healthy Zone at home.
Track your garden to get free garden guides and be eligible for hundreds of monthly give-aways for climate-smart wildlife lovers from September 2020 to March 2021.
*conditions apply