# @ahs_gardening on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DcTGgzhHD9J
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69414865-ahs-gardening-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/b63fce45e8.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-21T10:16:17.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Horticultural Society | American Gardener Magazine (@ahs_gardening) — https://gondola.cc/ahs_gardening

## Caption

The pawpaw may be waiting for an animal that no longer exists. ⁠
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Thousands of years ago, North America was home to mastodons, giant ground sloths and other megafauna capable of eating large fruits — and carrying their seeds across the landscape. Then those animals disappeared.⁠
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But some of the fruits remained.⁠
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The pawpaw, Asimina triloba, is one of them. Its large fruits and seeds have long intrigued scientists studying the ecological relationships left behind by extinct animals. Today, its fruit still feeds turtles, deer, raccoons, bears and other wildlife, while its leaves are essential food for zebra swallowtail caterpillars.⁠
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And another remarkably effective seed disperser has entered the story — us.⁠
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In The American Gardener, Nancy Lawson explores what happens when plants outlive some of the animals they evolved alongside — and the role humans can play in creating new ecological relationships.⁠
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As Lawson writes, “We carry the torch of seed-dispersing animals who’ve disappeared into the mists of time as we also forge new partnerships.”⁠
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Perhaps planting a pawpaw isn't simply gardening.⁠
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Perhaps we're helping continue a relationship interrupted thousands of years ago.⁠
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To discover more about Pawpaws and their ancient relationships, read “Gardening with Wildlife” in our March/April issue of American Gardener for the full story. ⁠
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Not a member? Join us at us at ahsgardening.org/join to become a member and gain full access to American Gardener magazine. ⁠
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Writer: Nancy Lawson (humanegardener) ⁠
📸 creds: Melissa McMasters, iNaturalist ⁠
Illustration: Benji Paysnoe for National Park Service (benj_art_min) ⁠
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#planthistory #horticulturalhistory #gardeningwithwildlife #americangardener #ahsgardening #americanhorticulturalsociety #pawpaw #joshuatree #symbiotic #butterflies #ecology #zebraswallowtailbutterfly

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## Tags

americanhorticulturalsociety, pawpaw, planthistory, americangardener, gardeningwithwildlife, butterflies, zebraswallowtailbutterfly, ahsgardening, ecology, symbiotic, joshuatree, horticulturalhistory

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