Mulberries are turning — the birds know first

Red turns to deep purple. If we don't pick them, the catbirds will.

Field notes

The mulberry tree is dropping its first ripe fruit on the ground. They start green, turn red, then deepen to almost-black purple — that's when they're sweet.

We can't beat the birds to all of them, and that's okay. A mulberry tree is one of the best 'sacrifice' trees a homestead can have: the catbirds, mockingbirds, and orioles fill up on mulberries instead of the strawberries.

Easiest harvest method: spread an old sheet on the ground, shake the branches. Ripe mulberries fall, unripe ones stay put.

The learning

What's actually happening

It's not really one fruit

A mulberry looks like a long blackberry, but it's actually a 'multiple fruit' — a cluster of dozens of tiny separate fruits fused together, each one from a separate flower on the same stem.

Why ripe mulberries stain everything

The dark purple pigment is anthocyanin — the same compound that makes blueberries and red cabbage their color. It's a strong natural dye. Old shepherds in Persia used mulberry juice to mark their sheep.

Birds as workers

A mulberry tree near a vegetable garden or strawberry patch acts as a decoy. Birds prefer mulberries — they're easier and sweeter. Plant one and the rest of the garden survives.

Words to know

Multiple fruit: A fruit made from many separate flowers fused into one body — like a mulberry or pineapple.
Anthocyanin: The purple-red pigment in fruits, vegetables, and fall leaves.
Decoy crop: A plant grown on purpose to attract pests away from the crops you actually want.

Your turn

Make your guesses

Enroll a kid to save guesses.

Pick one

When is a mulberry the sweetest?

Wonder

If birds eat half our mulberries, is that a loss — or is the tree doing two jobs at once?

Try this at home

▸Crush a single ripe mulberry on white paper. That stain is anthocyanin doing its work.
▸Watch the tree for 10 minutes around dusk. Count how many birds land in it. That's free pest control.

← All dispatches Rustic Roost Ranch →