growing wild in the Vienna/oakton/mclean/Fairfax area?

First of all, it's way, way too early in the growing season for Pawpaws. You need to let those fuckers ripen a lot for them to be delicious and creamy. I did see them growing wild in August in Leesylvania state Park in PW, falling off trees.

Paw Paw, Wv

Leisure World... that's where my paw paw is anyway.

You probably won't find wild ones in Fairfax. If you do, my guess would be Great Falls or Riverbend park or one of the parks along Bull Run/Occoquan River or down in Masons Neck. You may want to watch out though, because it might not be legal to harvest them in parks.

Pawpaw Man is correct. It is way too early to find them now. The trees are only now flowering.

Well, Paw paws in this region tend to be found near water. In generally undisturbed areas. Vienna, oakton, mcclean fairfax area? I don't know of any there, those places are mostly on hills and not close to much water and a fair amount of development. Luckily fairfax county streams and creeks are parkland, so they are relatively undeveloped. Check the Difficult Run stream area, though be prepared for hella ticks. Near the potomac in mcclean wouldn't be a bad place to check.
I know of some in FFX county, but they are on protected land. Tragedy of the commons dictates I keep my mouth shut, poacher.

I actually have been looking for them along Bull Run at Hemlock Overlook and at Fountainhead. I've struck out. I've heard anecdotally you can find them in Bethesda along the Potomac. They are most definitely illegal to take out of Leesylvania or any of the other parks in the State Park system, which is kind of a shame because they largely go to waste. Maybe the animals feel differently but a lot of them stay away because the seeds are poisonous.

Paw paw seeker: I, too, enjoy the delicious flesh of the paw paw, but do not pick them in Fairfax County. I usually get them in rural VA and MD in areas near the bay.

I know of a single area in Fairfax County with a high concentration of paw paw trees. There are other decent areas, as well. It just takes a few minutes of map work, the powers of deduction, and a small handful of trips to likely areas.

Remember, paw paws like...

... growing under the shade of larger, mature trees
... moist conditions
... hanging out near bodies of water and floodplains
... staying out of swampy areas, but having a decent view

If you have hunted the paw paw in the past, you should be able to quickly scan a target area and spot their bark and leaves easily.

We have just been introduced to the paw paw and they are fantastic! We are lucky enough to have 3 large paw paw patches on our property out in Stafford growing wild and for the past 10 years I didnt know what they were.. When first moving here I bit into one just to taste it and it was green, so I spit it out and stayed away from them.. But the other day someone mentioned they just had some paw paws and the season is beginning.. I said whats a paw paw? and they showed me a picture of one and its tree online.. Well, then and there I knew what it was so this weekend I found one that was tree ripened (most are still green) and it was FANTASTIC - yellow custard, sweet, banana kind taste.. YUM.. Mike

I live in Woodbridge, VA (Very near the occoquan river)and I'm very interested in finding the trees, and trying the fruit (it is early September, and from what I've read the begining of the season) does anyone know where I might find a pawpaw patch? Be it at a wooded area or park... I'm sure it is not wrong to eat a fruit off a tree.... Thanks

I have plenty at my river cabin.....near Paw Paw, wv

MattW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I live in Woodbridge, VA (Very near the occoquan
> river)and I'm very interested in finding the
> trees, and trying the fruit (it is early
> September, and from what I've read the begining of
> the season) does anyone know where I might find a
> pawpaw patch? Be it at a wooded area or park...
> I'm sure it is not wrong to eat a fruit off a
> tree.... Thanks

There are paw paws very close to you. See my earlier advice.

No, it is not wrong to eat fruit off of a tree. Here's a major hint embedded in a bit of advice: in some of the best picking spots in Prince William County and southern Fairfax County, there are kooks who may try to stop you from eating paw paws. Kooks whose profession is supposed to be all about people enjoying the wonders of nature, but go into total brownshirt mode when people actually attempt to enjoy the wonders of nature.

I love these things.
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Anywhere around here that sells the fruit?

Potomac river, Maryland side, tons of em, Charles co.

They really don't sell them in stores as then tend to bruise very easily. Best bet it to get them right off of the tree usually on a river bank.

In the wild in Fairfax, go to Scott Run. Google maps calls it Dranesville District Park. Walk the trail along Scott Run all the way to the Potomac River. Right before you get there, the trail breaks away from the run to go up and down a very steep hill. On the way down, you walk through one long paw paw patch. Take a break at the waterfall at the end of Scott Run, then, instead of turning around and heading back, walk the trail along the Potomac. Again, hundreds of paw paw trees along the trail. However, I don't know if it was the unusually cool summer, but there's not much fruit on the trees this year.

One of the vendors at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market, The Farm at Sunnyside, has had paw paws in September the last few years.

i know where they are, but why would I tell you? If you grew up in Fairfax County, you'd know.

I planted a few trees and got 2 fruits this year, I have the science down to get more next year, just need to remember to put the chicken necks on them before they blossom.

Where can one find paw paws? Way down yonder in the paw paw patch, of course!

Balls Bluff Park along the Potomac river terraces. I would bet if you crossed the river and took the B & O Canal along the Potomac on the Maryland side, the wooded sections along the river might have trees also.

They are back

Hey, thanks for the reminder!

On a dog dog.

@Snoop: I enjoyed your joke about pawpaws on a dogdog. In a more serious note there are pawpaws ripe just now on Cub Run and its tributaries. It seems to be not a very good year (as compared to 2011, when there were a shit-load of them in the wild) but I just picked one today on Cub Run (leaving a number of them to ripen) and noted three downed ones that had rotted and been eaten by bugs.

"Pickin' up pawpaws, put 'em in your pocket, Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch"

Riverbend Park is full of them (and beaners too)

What the f is a paw paw

Missed it this year but think I have them on my property. Will be looking closely next spring for blooms to validate...

There are lots of these trees along the Potomac river in various places. I have seen them while walking along the flood plain areas of the Potomac in the Balls Bluff Park area of Loudoun County. That is if someone else or the deer didn't find them befoe you