The Mulberry Tree in June.

I am link up in withLooseandleafy ’s tree watch out meme on the 7th of every calendar month . My ancient mulberry tree takes life story at a steady pace and not a great deal has alter since last month except that the blossom have got bigger . Mulberries don ’ t ripen until the goal of August so there is a way to go until we have courteous dark red berry . The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is looking summery with its bombastic heart - shaped leaves . The buttercups in the meadow are nearly over and the ruby-red campion has finished . But there are ox -eye daisies search very pretty . Down the lane the foam of cow parsley has stop but there are still some dog roses in bloom .

As it is Midsummernight ’ s Eve this calendar month it seems a good time to cue you of the tragical way the mulberry got its red colour harmonize to Roman myth told to us by Ovid in the Metamorphoses . The adaptation most of us are familiar with is the one acted out by the rustic in Shakespeare ’ s Midsummer Night ’ s Dream , with the character of the hero played by Bottom . The story of two young lovers kept aside by their parents and forgather a tragic end is a theme which Shakespeare returned to in Romeo and Juliet . Perhaps he got the estimation for it from Pyramus and Thisbe .

In Ovid ’ s version the young Babylonian couple who live in adjoining household utter through a chink in the wall . As they are forbidden contact with one another they decide to turn tail their parent ’ s vigilance and meet by the mulberry tree by the tomb of Ninus . Thisbe get in first and is alarm by a lion with its mouth all gory from its latest kill . She swing her humeral veil as she runs off to hide out . When Pyramus arrives on the scene the Panthera leo has gone and he envision the blood stain velum that the lion has maul . think that his beloved Thisbe has been eat by the lion Pyramus does what any powerful -minded Roman would do on such an occasion and falls on his sword . Thisbe returns and ascertain her love dying and realising that he has killed himself because of his neat love for her she take the steel and prod herself too . you may see why Shakespeare liked the story , he did care to terminate his catastrophe with the stage littered with corpses .

Anyway the point of this story which you may not eff from a reading of Shakespeare ’ s playing period is that the blood of the die Pyramus spurted all over the white-hot mulberries dying them red . And that is how we have red mulberry tree today .

This lovely wood auction block engraving is the study of David Kandel who illustrate the Herbal of Hieronymus Bock , ( not to be confused with Bosch ) who was a German Lutheran minister and also a botanist . His Herbal ; ‘ Kreuterbuch’first appeared in 1539 . He classify 700 works so the book was quite an achievement . The David Kandel woodblocks are wizardly and sometimes accidentally laughable .

Thanks to Lucy Corrander atlooseandleafyfor hosting this meme .

54 Responses toThe Mulberry Tree in June.

What an amazing post ! History as well as garden . Your Mulberry tree is beautiful and will be even more so in a couple of months time . Shakespeare did like slew of blood and gore did n’t he , it ’s amazing that so many write up have the same theme .

You are passing knowledgeable Chloris – and such a tragic account attach to this beautiful Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree too . I recall Pauline ’s sentiments Shakespeare liked a fair flake of tragedy , we do n’t get too much Shakspere at school here but I ’m familiar with one or two but not Midsummer Night ’s Dream .

Your mulberry tree and the circumvent country is beautiful , Chloris . They fit my mind ’s prototype of the English nation garden .

In my sometime garden , mulberry seedlings were one of the most vulgar gage ! The funny thing is that I never knew where the parent tree grew . Birds brought in the seeds . I have planted a few mulberries here ( outside the garden proper ) but they have not survived !

I ’m enjoying the mulberry tree stories ! I do n’t think there ’s nearly as much fable or myth associated with my cottonwood , but I ’m searching …

Love your mulberry tree tree , sadly if lost mine last wintertime but it was only a young sprig really . Reading your blog piddle me think I must replace it .

Not only a most enjoyable post Chloris but most informative too . There is so much fascinating folklore out there around plants . I must investigate the willow tree more . I studied ‘ A Midsummer Night ’s Dream ’ for ‘ O ’ level English Literature many moons ago and have lovesome memories of Pyramus and Thisbe .

The Mulberry Tree in June.