Mulberry Tree Magic
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden's native red mulberry (Morus rubra) tree brings the community together to climb.
By Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Robert Llewellyn
Summer Beauty
Close your eyes. Now imagine the first tree you ever climbed. Can you see it? Can you feel the rough bark on your tender child fingers? Can you feel the fear of climbing too high and the exhilaration at the fact that you found a way to scramble up anyway?
Monkey Business
The monkey sculpture acts as a beacon to children to let them know: it's ok to climb this one!
Robert Llewellyn Mulberry (2010-07-13) by Robert LlewellynLewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Climbing Adventure
Excitement Builds
Focus & Concentration Leads to Mastery
The Challenge is Accomplished. This is Important Learning.
Family Tree
For many who live in Richmond, VA, this mulberry is the first one they climb. It’s accessible to even toddlers who have not yet mastered walking yet. Its hulking limbs rest on the ground.
Class Photo
As the children grow, the spots to which they can climb grow too.
Kids come back year after year and flock to the irresistible red mulberry tree. Thousands of class photos have been taken right here!
Tweens
You're never too big to climb a tree. At least not your favorite tree.
"As an educator, I love being able to observe our mulberry tree teach children valuable lessons. When a child is growing, pushing limits and boundaries, taking risks, and building body awareness through tree climbing, it can be really empowering. It can also be a chance for kids who struggle in traditional learning environments to show their skills and level the playing field."
Kelsey Deans, Children’s Educator
Looking up into the Mulberry TreeLewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Canopy
When you climb under the canopy of the mulberry, overhead is a curtain of green leaves -- a background of lush coolness, dotted with the dark, sweet, mulberry fruit.
Mulberry Treescape (2021-04-22) by Double Take StudioLewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Photography by Robert Llewellyn, Joey Tran, Erin Adelman, Claudine Reyes, Jonah Holland, Annie Goldman, Beth Monroe, Brian Ahnmark, and Melissa and Mark Anderson.
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