The largest edible fruit native to the United States is a pawpaw.
It is a tropical fruit that has adapted to the temperate north. Known to botanists as "Asimina triloba,"
the pawpaw is a small tropical-looking tree that is seldom more than 25' tall.
It is a host for the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly which is seldom found far from these trees.
The fruit has yellowish-green skin with flesh that is pale to bright yellow and contains large, dark brown seeds. The fruit (generally 3-6" in length) matures in September and October.
The pawpaw is often described as tasting like a cross between a mango and a banana.
The ripe fruit has a fragrant aroma and a custard-like texture.
Although pawpaws were enjoyed by Native Americans and the early American settlers for centuries, as the United States became more industrialized, they fell out of favor. Nowadays, they may sometimes be found in farmer's markets, but the pawpaw has a very short shelf life and bruises easily.
Letha House Park features hiking trails and a bridle trail, a playground, picnic shelter,
and a 7-acre lake for fishing (--catch and release only. A fishing license is not required.)
You may access a trail map by clicking here: Letha House Trail Map
Enjoy a hike through a large stand of Pawpaw trees by following the Pawpaw Grove Trail
indicated in yellow on the trail map.
Park hours are from 8:00 a.m. until dark. Absolutely NO night caching!
This geocache is placed with permission of the Medina County Parks. Permit # 102.
"Find it... in Medina County" is a series of 25 geocaches placed throughout the area
at various parks and other points of interest.
Those who locate at least 18 of the geocaches in the series and present their completed passport at one of our redemption sites will receive a fabulous trackable geocoin as a memento of the fun that they have had exploring the area. (Limited to the first 250-- one per caching name).
Update August 2016: We have reordered another 250 geocoins!
Caches will remain in place and coins are available to the first 500 geocachers to complete the series.
And as an added bonus, there will be an extra surprise for those that find
at least 22 geocaches in the series! (While supplies last.)
You may print your passport by clicking here: "Find it... in Medina County" passport
Redemption sites and their hours are listed on the passport.
A list of the geocaches in this series can be found here:: "Find it... in Medina County" geocaches