What the Heck is a Magnet Tree?

my magnet tree.

What the heck is a Magnet Tree?  I have one in my yard.  It's a red mulberry tree that attracts birds by the score this time of year.  Early in the morning, just after sunrise, there doesn't seem to be a twig on the entire tree that isn't dripping with birds.  Mulberries, plump and ripe, hang in clumps from every branch.  As I walk past the tree on the way to my truck,  I must walk through a dense carpet of berries that cover the ground.  Fermenting among the grass, it reminds me of young wine.  Not good wine, but still...


Not all magnet trees are mulberries.  Some are nut trees, or maple trees, or any other tree that bears fruit.  I've never heard anyone else call these special trees magnet trees, but the name fits.  These lone trees seem to draw birds from all over as they feast on the bounty of the magnet tree.  

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My magnet tree stands by itself, but not far from a dense wood.  As soon as the snow melts every year, I begin thinking about my tree.  I watch as the leaves unfurl, and then as the fruit begins to form.  Each berry starts as a hard white little mass.  Beginning in late May, the berries begin to swell and turn first pale green, then red before becoming succulent, ripe purple fruit. This particular mulberry tree hangs over our parking lot, and stands about forty-five feet tall.   As I pull my truck under the tree in spring, I know that soon I won't be able to park there.  As the berries ripen, they fall like rain from the canopy, leaving large purple stains anywhere they land.

I don't mind losing my parking lot each June, though.  Because as the berries ripen, the birds arrive.  First a woodpecker or two, then a lone robin appears.  Within days, the tree is a cacophony of sound.  Flapping wings, warning calls and chirps of delight fill the air.  Behind it all, the sound of berries falling to the ground is a constant, like rain dripping from a roof on a dewy morning.  After a few days, the buzzing of all sorts of insects also join the bird sounds.  Bumble bees, wasps, yellow jackets, hornets and all sorts of buzzing creatures are attracted to the fallen fruit.  Butterflies by the scores flutter about the branches, sipping sweetness from the ripening bounty.

My main interest, though, is always the birds. I sit outside the studio, drawing them quickly as they land, gorge on berries, then fling themselves heavily into the sky.  Sometimes, they eat too many over-ripe fruit.  Then they tilt crazily, sitting sideways on the ground, looking like little feathered winos who've gulped too much from a paper bag.

My favorite birds among the many visitors are the bright birds of summer... orioles, tanagers and goldfinches.  We get both Baltimore Orioles and Orchard Orioles visiting the tree.  Sometimes, there may be a dozen orioles in the tree at one time.  Often, half a dozen tanagers can be seen at once near the tip-top of the tree.  The bright flashes of screaming red and black startle my eye as the male tanagers move deliberately among the leaves.

Pileated woodpeckers are among the flashiest birds that vist the tree.  We are lucky enough to have three pairs nest nearby, and at times, six of the big birds are in the tree at one time, chasing each other with wide, flashing wingbeats.  Sometimes, there are up to five species of woodpeckers in the tree at once.  Along with the big pileateds, we have regular visits from red-bellies, downey and hairy woodpeckers as well as yellow-bellied sapsuckers.

I love my magnet tree.  I wait for it to fruit every year, looking forward to the myriad of species that it draws to my yard.  I hope you can find your own magnet tree, and enjoy it as much as I do mine.

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