Nearby daffodils suggest that this old red mulberry might have been planted near someone’s home not too long ago. Red mulberries were, and are, an important food source for both people and animals in the Black Belt prairie region. An orchard oriole was dining on the fruit while I painted and I had quite a few myself. I should note that these red mulberries (morus rubra) were far tastier than the ones I’m used to, perhaps because I grew up eating berries from the non-native white mulberry (morus alba) or from trees that were a cross between the two.
