Knowledgebase
Red mulberry #750417
Asked May 17, 2021, 1:50 PM EDT
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
It does look like a mulberry, or possibly a gooseberry, or currant. Do you have any of these in fairly close proximity where a seed might have transferred? Here is an interesting article about red mulberry in the southeastern part of Minnesota -
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/issues/2017/may-jun/red-mulberry.html
Mary
It would be nice if it were a red mulberry. Because of climate change, trees to the south of the Twin Cities are moving northward, so it's possible. Animals can indeed transfer seeds through their droppings as well as carrying them on their coats.
This is more likely a white mulberry. The margins are rough; red mulberry edges are more jagged. The veins resemble those in white mulberry as well. See the following article on differentiating between the two varieties -
https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/fnr/fnr_237.pdf
For information on white mulberry in Minnesota, see https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/tree/white-mulberry