Various States of Pawpaw Blossom

Last year I received an email from a guy who lives here in Utah saying he has a solitary pawpaw tree and wondering if he could get some pollen from me in the spring. I said yes, and that he should remind me when spring came and we would work things out for him to get some pawpaw pollen. He needs the pollen since he's only got one tree and pawpaws aren't self-fertile (which I mention in case anyone reading is new to pawpaws). It's spring now, and we've arranged for him to come by on Wednesday next week, with the time still to be determined. He's bringing a little paint brush to harvest the pollen. By the way, he contacted me at the following email address: brr29@yahoo.com

I'm anticipating the blossoms will be ready next week, since they aren't in full swing yet. Right now, they're in various states of bloom and unbloom. See below, all from the Wells cultivar since it's got the most blossoms and the most variety: 

See these ones? They opened and then seem to have died when we had some cold weather that came through and punctuated our spring.

A closer look at a cold-weather casualty, poignantly crowned with a fibrous and wind-carried seed that (unlike this particular flower) may yet live.

Here's one that's still green, not yet the purple color that pawpaw lovers look for in the spring.

Here's one that's attained that classic purple look.

Twins.

Growing into the sky.

An early blossom that's in full bloom; note the white pollen grains on the petals. 

Not all blossoms are so lucky--here's one of the dead hangers-on, frozen and thawed and now brown.

And just as a reminder that these pawpaws aren't growing in the home range, here's a prickly pear from our weekend trip to the desert of southern Utah. I liked the shadow hanging under the cactus. If you click on the image you'll be able to see the shadows of individual cactus needles.