Month: August 2025

Are Pawpaws Neurotoxic?

First, I’d like to thank everyone who has registered for an upcoming ecology outing.  The Old-Growth Forest Ecology Outings are nearly full, and fewer than half the spots remain for the Summer Forest Ecology Outings.

If you’d like to join us on August 30 or August 31 for an exciting day of ecology and geology, you can register here.  These outings are great opportunities to explore beautiful ecosystems while learning tree identification, mushroom identification, forest history, geologic influences on plant communities, and much more.

I’d love to see you there!

And now on to the new video…

Are pawpaws neurotoxic?

It sounds like an absurd question to ask.  After all, many people eat these wild fruits every year without experiencing any apparent negative effects.

But let’s consider the following pieces of information:  

Studies have linked the consumption of fruits in the Annonaceae family to neurodegeneration in humans.  Pawpaw, it turns out, is in the Annonaceae family.

A compound isolated from pawpaws is neurotoxic in laboratory studies.

And a case report from 2020 describes a man who developed a possible variant of a neurodegenerative disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy.  The man was known to eat lots of pawpaws.

Of course, none of this information is conclusive, but it does make some people wonder.  Are pawpaws neurotoxic?  Should we avoid eating them?  Or is this issue overhyped?

In a brand-new video, I share my thoughts.

Thanks for reading and watching, and thanks for your continued support!

— Adam Haritan

Upcoming Forest Ecology Outings (New Events!)

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be leading a series of forest ecology outings, and I’d love for you to join me!

On August 30 and 31, 2025, I will be leading two Summer Forest Ecology Outings at McConnells Mill State Park in Pennsylvania.

Designated a National Natural Landmark for its outstanding features, McConnells Mill is a treasure trove for learning.  Central to the park’s landscape is the Slippery Rock Gorge — a deep ravine carved by powerful forces, exposing millions of years of ancient bedrock and currently supporting mature forest ecosystems.

On October 11 and 12, 2025, I will be leading two Old-Growth Forest Ecology Outings at Cook Forest State Park. 

Located in northwestern Pennsylvania, Cook Forest is home to one of the last remaining old-growth forests in the entire region, with 11 old-growth areas spanning over 2,300 acres.  One of the areas within the park, the Forest Cathedral, contains arguably the finest concentration of old-growth trees in the northeastern United States.

During these outings, we will walk through deciduous and coniferous woodlands while discussing forest ecology.  We’ll investigate big trees and big rocks.  We’ll see historic landmarks, and we’ll discuss important geological influences that have drastically shaped the landscape.

In addition to learning key characteristics of mature and old-growth forests, participants will learn tree identification, mushroom ecology and identification, the role of fire as an ecological agent, ways to interpret forest history, and much more.

These outings are great opportunities to learn, explore, and connect with nature in spectacular settings.  They’re also great opportunities to meet wonderful people.

Please note:  Each outing is a single-day event.  To maximize your learning experience, space is limited and registration with payment in advance is required to secure your spot. 

To learn more and to register, click here and choose the appropriate session.

I’d love to see you there!

—Adam Haritan

Living in Lines vs. Living in Circles

By Dana O’Driscoll

Nature is a perfect system.  A tree falls during a thunderstorm.  Within several weeks, the wood is colonized by fungi, bugs, and others who begin the years-long process of breaking down the wood and returning all of the nutrients into the web of life.  Soon, oyster mushrooms are erupting from the log, bugs burrow in deep, and mice make their home under the old roots.  In 10 or 15 years, moss grows thick, and an acorn takes root and begins to grow in the soil that was a stump.  The tree’s trunk becomes a nursery tree for many other plants to get a foothold, off of the forest floor.  Suddenly where there was death, there is life. This circle continues and continues, connecting us all in a great web of life.  There is no waste in this system–every single part of nature can be recycled and reused infinitely.

Serviceberry
Serviceberry is part of this beautiful ecosystem!

One of the challenges humans have in this age is that they have built systems that have disregarded the cycle of life, which includes both creating things that do not easily return to nature and removing ourselves entirely from this system.  Rather than think in a circle or cycle, we think in a line. This embedded linear thinking currently pervades modern Western human society.  The Story of Stuff short film series does a great job of visually describing these problems: many human systems are based on the foundation of greed, quick profit, and short-term linear thinking.  What often happens when someone takes up nature spirituality is that their patterns of shifting slowly change from lines to circles.  This happens with people connecting to many different nature-connected communities: including  nature spirituality, gardening, rewilding, bushcraft, natural building, or permaculture practice.   As soon as you start being part of nature, living with nature, and connecting to nature, you are aware of the cycle.  The longer you take up these practices, the more profound this cyclical thinking becomes.

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