Red Mulberry, Morus rubra

The Red Mulberry, also known as Morus rubra, is a tree species native to North America. It belongs to the mulberry family, Moraceae, which includes over 1000 species of plants. The Red Mulberry is an important tree species in many ways, as it provides a range of ecological, economic, and cultural benefits.

Ecological Benefits

The Red Mulberry is an ecologically important tree species, as it provides various ecological benefits. The tree is well-suited to a wide range of soils, from sandy loam to heavy clay, and can tolerate a range of pH levels. The tree is also tolerant of flooding, making it an important species in riparian zones, floodplains, and other wetland areas.

The Red Mulberry produces large quantities of fruit, which are eaten by a range of wildlife species. The fruit is rich in nutrients, including vitamin C, iron, and calcium, and is an important food source for many bird species, including blue jays, robins, and cedar waxwings. Other animals that feed on the fruit include squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and deer.

The Red Mulberry also provides important habitat for a range of insect species. Many butterfly and moth species rely on the Red Mulberry as a host plant for their caterpillars. The tree also supports a range of other insect species, including beetles, wasps, and ants.

Economic Benefits

The Red Mulberry is an economically important tree species in North America, as it has a range of commercial uses. The tree is grown for its fruit, which is used to make jams, jellies, pies, and other food products. The fruit is also used to make wine and other alcoholic beverages.

The wood of the Red Mulberry is also valuable, as it is hard, dense, and resistant to decay. The wood is used to make furniture, flooring, and other high-quality wood products. The bark of the Red Mulberry is also used in traditional medicine, as it has been shown to have antiviral and antimicrobial properties.

Mulberry trees are easy to propagate and make an excellent fodder source.

Cultural Significance

The Red Mulberry has a rich cultural significance in North America. The tree has been used for centuries by indigenous people for food, medicine, and other purposes. The Cherokee people used the bark of the tree to treat fever, while the Iroquois used the inner bark to make a tea to treat coughs and colds.

The Red Mulberry also played an important role in the Underground Railroad, as it was used by slaves escaping to freedom. The tree provided important cover for escaping slaves, as well as a source of food.

Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana

     Known for its edible small purple berries. I have eaten the berries raw, and they don't have much flavor. Popular for creating jams/jellies - sugar and pectin will have to be added.

    Usually you see the brightly colored magenta berries for months in the summer. I was finally able to get a picture of the flowers themselves.

Spiderwort, Spring 2022

 

     Every Spring, around Alban Eilir, all the Spiderwort start blooming. The flowers are open in the very early morning, and as the sun rises they appear to be glowing 🟣. They are amazingly beautiful, and one of the few plants of early spring that is native to this area and edible. 

 

    Every year I transplant seedlings from the mowed areas to safer areas of my place. And every year I have more and more beautiful color in the spring. One year I used the flowers to color eggs, by sticking them to the egg and then boiling the egg in a wrapper. It came out amazingly.

Mystery plant, has flowers in the early summer.

          Found this strange looking friend growing in the deep shade of a Ficus tree at my friend's house. He has 3 acres of mostly grass but he thinks its the most amazing property ever. Regardless, I thought this little guy was some kind of raspberry or blackberry due to it's diminutive size and berry looking pods. 

This picture was taken in May

     Later I continued to check on the berries, hoping it was something edible. But it never turned purple or red, instead it burst into color. Into a most familiar color, the native flower known as Lantana.

     I don't know that much about Lantana other than it has yellow flowers or it has pink flowers and sometimes you can find one plant with both colors on it. Some people say the ripe berries are edible. Maybe we should do more with this native beauty.

     Wikipedia says that Lantana is poisonous if eaten, but can be used topically as it has antimicrobial and antifungal properties. It also has chemicals which give it insecticidal properties, which makes it insect resistant. Lantana is native to North and South America.

Tradescantia, Spiderwort 2019

     After several years of encouraging the spread of Spiderwort all over my little place, I have finally achieved sizable plantings. Enough extra Spiderwort that I could sell some at my future nursery, or bring some to the Fortress of Solitude.

     I really like Spiderwort. It sprouts in the Spring and blooms for months. It is one of the few native edible succulents, heck, I can't think of another. I once took the flowers and dyed them onto Easter eggs. There are so many reasons to keep Spiderwort around. Read my original post about Spiderwort HERE.

Spiderwort, Tradescantia spp., Asparagus of the South

Uses : Edible, Forage, Xeriscaping. Native to : Eastern North America.
     There are several Tradescantia members that look similar, notably T. virginiana and T. ohiensis. The good news is that they are both edible. The bad news is that when anyone thinks of Tradescantia, they usually think of the striped (Wandering Jew) or purple (Purple Heart, Moses in a Boat), which are inedible.
     These purple beauties will bloom all spring, but each flower  is only open for a day or so. They are very successful, some might even say invasive, and can survive some mowing. The best practice is to relocate these hardy perennials to a flower bed in the full sun.
     Rabbits do enjoy eating them, along with some humans. Green Deane says:

     "Its leaves do not change in flavor as the plant ages. The leaves are good for salads as well, or in soup and stews but they are mucilaginous. The stems can be braised like asparagus. The flowers, at one time favorites for candying, make very pretty blue additions to back yard salads."