Flamingo Musings

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Nature Notes: The Mulberry

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This is the native mulberry – morus rubra – the Red Mulberry, part of my ongoing struggle to replace the crap grass (not a typo, nor a Freudian slip) with native, or at least naturalized plantings. An attempt to attractively expand my backyard wildlife habitat. Except that this is the front yard, so I really have to be delicate about it. Last year, I scattered native wildflower seeds on the deliberately scalped lawn – hoping for a meadow, you understand – and got virtually nothing but Spanish Needles. And tall grass. With the occasional rudbeckia and salvia popping up for good measure. The place didn’t look so much like a meadow, as it did an abandoned, overgrown mess. You know, the kind where you wonder if the homeowner’s lawnmower was broken? Or that maybe they’re dealing crack in there? The City posted a warning on our door.

But I digress…

This has been a banner year for the mulberries, so far, and they’ve only been in the ground about two years! I’ve never seen so many berries on these guys. Every time I even think about pruning them, they go into bloom and start bearing. Heck – they were blooming and bearing while they were still in the nursery pots, waiting to go into the ground! 🙂

I think I’ve told you this story: Back in March, when we had that hockey game of a yard sale, the true star of the weekend (besides MIL’s jewelry), was this mulberry. It was going into bloom then, and people gazed at it in amazement. “What is that?” “It’s a mulberry.” “Can you eat the fruit?” “Yup. Us and the birds.” One guy asked me if he could get a cutting! So, I sent MJ to get my pruners and charged him a buck.

But I’m confused – I haven’t seen a single bird go near them. Yet another stunning example of my planting for wildlife, but the wildlife don’t care… That’s okay. At least I get to enjoy them:-)

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Italic

Michelle at Rambling Woods is hosting Nature Notes, a weekly meme dedicated to challenging us to take a moment out of our hectic lives and notice the seasonal changes – large and small – taking place in nature all around each of us, in our own little corners of the world. Please visit Michelle and all the other participants, and maybe take some of your own Nature Notes!

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Comments

  1. RJ..I will post the link on the next Nature Notes which I haven’t posted yet..I think..but am not positive that the berries are eaten after the breeding season is done. The protein in bugs is needed for nesting and to feed to nestlings…but I know that migrating birds like robins really love the fruit to build up strength.And I have to say that I am so happy that I am not the only person to sprinkle seeds on my lawn hoping for a wildlife habitat…with no luck… lol…Michelle

  3. Hi!We have a whole hedge of mulberries around our house. But they never have fruit. But the trees out back are loaded with them. Can’t figure that one out. Maybe it’s because the hedge doesn’t get tree size is the only thing I can think of. Have a great day!!Sherrie

  4. I need to take a closer look at that mulberry. Maybe I’ve seen one and just didn’t know what it was. 🙂 I wish the birds would stay away from my apricots. I can barely get a couple off the tree before the birds get to them all.

  5. Fun post! I thought mulberries grew on a tree. I’ll have to take a closer look at the brambles around here. Thanks for the tip!And I know what you mean about aiming for a natural habitat and getting a weedy mess. I seem to have produced the same effect in my own yard this year.

  8. I have mulberry trees. They look just like what you showed us here but mine grow into quite tall trees unless I keep cutting them. The berries aren’t on them yet for this year but the birds love mine. By early summer there are a ton of them and the birds are feasting on the berries. Not sure if there is a difference between the low ones like you have and the trees I have.