• Tuesday-What'sUP September 8 - 03:52 pm

No matter what you think of these little rodents, you have to admit they're very resourceful little critters. Bruce Watters has a good shot to prove that, with today's first photo. That chipmunk seems pretty comfortable there, gnawing on that cob of corn. It almost looks like that's a chair built right in there for his little bottom to be setting on while he enjoys that bright yellow delicacy.

Then there are other chippies that prefer to eat and run, like the one captured by Ken Scheibach in the second photo. I'm not sure what this little guy has clasped in his hands, but whatever it is, he looks like he's stealthily eating away. Maybe these guys are already beginning to store some winter grub.

Yes, it is that time of year not only for the animals, but also for the people in the UP. It is the season for getting ready for winter, which means getting your "fire" woodpile stacked and ready for our long cold winter days and nights. Family and friends have been busy gathering their berries for their pies and jams. Everyone has been busy stocking up the pantry with all the fruits and vegetables that they had collected over the summer. While I was home visiting this past week, my friend Susan was canning tomatoes. Kitchens throughout the homes that I visited were getting ready for winter. My children tell their friends about when they lived in the Copper Country how their mother would fill the many pantry shelves with glass jars filled with homegrown canned food. Great heritage!

I think chippies are so darn cute. My dad always called them gophers and that just drove us crazy, lol!!

I was watching one load up on stuff yesterday, they are fun to watch but are so good at getting into things.

Mealtime: When teenagers (& chippies) sit down and continue to eat.

Good job! What delightful pictures! Thank you.

Thank you for the fun chipmunk pictures today. The first one is the first time I have ever seen one "sit down" to eat! :-) The elementary school that our three sons went to here in mid-Michigan used Chipmunks as their mascot, so we have long been fans of chipmunks. :-)

Speaking of getting ready for winter, here are some of the Mulberrys from our few trees. Jelly has already been made from this batch. We had a banner year of Mulberrys this year!

Question: I sent this pic around to several friends, family and got several inquirys if Mulberry trees do grow in the UP or even the NLP? Don't recall ever seeing them UP there anywhere. Are they? Does anyone know? I know there are lots of them down here in the SLP and points south and east. The berrys are great also at attracting song birds which love them!

On the same subject, sadly much of our this winters firewood will come from several of our Ash trees that died from the dreaded "Emerald Ash Borer" from China!
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Cute little targets! I never thought of baiting them with corn... What a great idea!

Russ, as I said before, what a neat picture...I have NEVER heard of mulberries being in the U.P.
I was a heavy duty berry picker of all kinds of berries when young, and even in later years, but never saw or heard of mulberries growing up here. Course, that doesn't mean they don't, just that I've never heard of it. Do they taste as unique as thimbleberry jam?

I did a bit of research on the Mulberry Tree and found the following:

Species: White Mulberry (Morus alba L.), Black Mulberry (M. nigra L.), American Mulberry, Red Mulberry (M. rubra L.). Hybrid forms exist between Morus alba and M. rubra.

Related Species: Korean Mulberry (Morus australis), Himalayan Mulberry (M. laevigata).

Distant Affinity: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), Jackfruit (A. heterophyllus), Fig (Ficus spp.), Che (Cudrania tricuspidata), African Breadfruit (Treculia african).

Origin: The white mulberry is native to eastern and central China. It became naturalized in Europe centuries ago. The tree was introduced into America for silkworm culture in early colonial times and naturalized and hybridized with the native red mulberry. The red or American mulberry is native to eastern United States from Massachusetts to Kansas and down to the Gulf coast. The black mulberry is native to western Asia and has been grown for its fruits in Europe since before Roman times.

Adaptation: The white mulberry, and to a lesser extent the red mulberry, are quite tolerant of drought, pollution and poor soil. The white mulberry is considered a weed tree in many parts of the country including urban areas. The black mulberry is more fastidious, faring less well in cold climates or areas with humid summers. The white mulberry is the most cold-hardy of the three species, although this varies from one clone to another. Some are damaged at 25° F, while others are unfazed at -25° F. Red mulberries are hardy to sub-zero temperatures. The black mulberry is the least cold-hardy of the three, although again cold tolerance seems to depend on the clone. In general it is limited to USDA Hardiness Zone 7 (0° to 10° F average minimum) or warmer. They have been planted only to a limited extent in America, mostly on the Pacific Coast. The mulberry makes a good town tree which will grow well in a tub.

That chipmunk pic is DARLING! It's now my screen saver!

Is a mulberry like or the same as, a sugar plum?

The first photo today has got to be one of the most adorable ever.

One of my kids used to call chipmunks "chickmunks." They are darn cute.

I've lived at a house down here in Lansing that had two very large mulberry trees. They are very messy.

Our neighbors have a mulberry tree that they don't make use of. Fortunately they let me collect the harvest. Mulberries make some of the best jelly I've eaten.
Mr. Deb

Helen: Mulberrys have a unique tangy taste. Not as "sweet" as other berrys, and not like Thimbleberrys, more like blackberrys. Though I enjoy Mulberrys and the jelly, my favorites are still Red Raspberrys and Blueberrys!
Barb: Thanks for the info! I guess our trees are the standard "Red Mulberry"
Messy in that if the berrys are not picked or eaten by birds, tend to accumulate on the ground and "purple" splotches are found on cars rather then "white"! Rains wash all this away. The wood is golden orange and an excellent firewood. Back in 1994 down at this end of the state we had minus 23 degrees and our old big "grandma" tree suffered and almost succumbed to that but is fine now. The trees easily sprout new ones and for this reason are often found growing under power, phone lines from birds perching on the wires!

I just discovered that I have a red mulberry tree (bush?) in my back yard this year! I didn't collect much of the fruit but I tried some of the berries. They look like blackberries, but taste more like grapes and seem to have a texture more like grapes too. It wasn't exactly a great tasting berry, but with some sugar i'm sure they'd make excellent jams and pies!