Whew! My white mulberry trees are budding for their second year!
After I pruned them last November, I was a bit concerned I may have over-done it. But here they are, having survived not only my pruning but having been underground in a yard that had been mowed for over 60 years. They are impressively resilient.
These are the trees (now bush-sized!) that are the focus of my White Mulberry Project I am working on this year for my Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship.
One of the works of art will be in the form of my famous “Earthpod” shapes, created from foraged parts of the white mulberry tree:
– I’ll be making an ink dye from the berries.
– Bark and twigs will be incorporated into the piece.
– Since their leaves have such unique shapes, I’ll be creating “leaf skeletons” from them if they will hold up to the process.
– The foundation for the Earthpod will be an 11″-12″ canteen-shaped gourd that I hope to get from one of my gourd farm suppliers.
As these shoots will be too young to forage berries, bark or twigs, I am looking for mature white mulberry trees in the area surrounding Whitehall, NY, perhaps as far as Glens Falls.
If anyone knows of a tree in the region that bears fruit, let me know in the comments below, or shoot me an email at serena@kovalosky.com.
See all articles on this project in my Mulberry Story-Box
CLICK for the background story of The White Mulberry Project
In 2023, Serena Kovalosky was awarded a New York State Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship for the White Mulberry Project, administered by the Arts Council for Wyoming County in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts. Funding for this project is made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the Governor’s office and the New York State Legislature.
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