Mulberry woes

 I hate mulberry trees.  I know some people actually plant them intentionally but I would never do that.  The reason I hate them is that they bear fruit PROLIFICALLY and the birds love it, eat the fruit and poop mulberry seeds all over the farm.  Every fence row where birds have perched will have mulberry trees sprouting, including the garden fence which is riddled with them. Every tree will have mulberries sprouting underneath, from birds who have perched on the branches and dropped the seeds in their poop.  Mulberries have incredibly deep roots that make it nearly impossible to yank them out, especially if they've gotten a good start on you.  

The only good thing I can think of about mulberry trees is that, in spite of the fact that they grow quickly, the wood from mulberries has a high heat output, ranking higher than oak and maple for BTUs from the wood.  We have a LOT of mulberry trees growing along the creek.  If we ever need more firewood, we have a good source right there.

Some people plant mulberry trees in their poultry yard because when the fruit drops, the chickens love it and eat it up.  I can see the benefit of this but unless the chickens are equally adept at scratching up the seedlings, I think the trade-off is a risky one.  

This morning I saw Mr. & Mrs. Duck (see previous post) busily waddling back and forth along the creekbank.  I wondered what they were up to until I realized they are scavenging mulberries that have dropped from the trees.  More power to them but I can foresee MORE mulberry seedlings growing in the mud of the creek where they spend most of their time.  It's a losing battle but at least the ducks are fun to watch.  It reminded me of how our flock of ducks used to plant themselves under the yard light at night, just so they could nab the bugs that were attracted to the light.  We don't have a yard light anymore so mulberries will have to do for this pair.