It’s mulberry season again on the Route 1 corridor.

The berries of the deciduous tree can be found all over area streets and sidewalks, as well as the purple-stained fingers of kids in local parks.

Along with other berries in Maryland, mulberries generally ripen in June, although they came a little earlier this year. Though the red mulberry is native, the trees around the Route 1 corridor are mostly white mulberries, an invasive species from Asia.

The berries are edible, but they don’t last long, so it’s best to eat them within a day of harvesting, or else freeze them or use them to make pies, tarts or jams.

Ripened mulberries should come right off the tree, or you could lay a tarp or old blanket on the ground and knock them loose with a stick or a broom.

Along Route 1, you can find mulberry trees at Driskell Park in Hyattsville, along Wells Run in University Park, at Lake Artemesia in College Park and on a handful of residential streets. You can find exact locations using the Falling Fruit foraging map.

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