April 23, 2025
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Help plant a pawpaw tree, known for custard-like fruits, at Montgomery’s Arbor Day celebration

Village giving away 50 persimmon tree saplings to attending community members

By Joey Weslo
Kids and community members help plant at tree at the Arboretum Garden Park during the village of Montgomery's Arbor Day celebration. This year, the village will be planting a Pawpaw Tree.

FILE – Kids and community members help plant at tree at the Arboretum Garden Park during the village of Montgomery's Arbor Day celebration. This year, the village will be planting a pawpaw tree. (Photo Provided By The Village of Montgomery)

The village of Montgomery is celebrating Arbor Day with its annual tree dedication and sapling giveaway on Saturday, April 26.

This year’s events will be honoring two special tree species, the Pawpaw Tree, known for its custard-like fruits, and the Persimmon Tree, known for its orange-like fruits. Pawpaw trees are indigenous to Kendall County, while persimmon trees are native to farther south in Illinois.

Community members are invited to the event at 10 a.m. Saturday at Arboretum Garden Park, 11 Civic Center Ave. to help plant trees, learn about their proper care, and take home some saplings. Kids and adults of all ages are encouraged to help dig for the arboretum’s new addition.

The arboretum, in front of the police department, has more than 100 species of plants. The village’s nearly 11,000 trees serve the community by cleaning the air, capturing rainwater, reducing erosion, cooling the neighborhood, and calming roadway traffic, according to a news release from the village.

This year’s indigenous pawpaw tree, grows banana-like fruits that are best eaten cold with a spoon. Besides adding beauty to the park, pawpaw trees serve as a host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly and other regional pollinators.

Each year the village dedicates a new native Illinois tree species to the arboretum. A municipal arborist will be at this year’s event to answer any tree care questions community members may have.

Village officials will share remarks on the importance of trees to the community and Montgomery’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability. The village is giving away 50 persimmon tree saplings to attending community members to help increase the town’s biodiversity, according to the release.

The village was honored with the Tree City USA Growth Award for 2024, recognizing the village’s dedication to urban forestry.

For more information, you can contact Ed Pfaff, forestry supervisor, at epfaff@montgomeryil.rog or go to montgomeryil.org/761/Arbor-Day.