In early May, the mulberry tree’s leaves were sparse, but now it’s heavily fruiting, and birds are pecking at the berries.
This year, badgers have come again, aiming for the ripe berries that have fallen.
They’re said to have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell. Indeed, they walk along with their noses to the ground, sniffing intently, yet they sometimes miss ripe mulberries right in front of them. It seems their sense of smell isn’t always reliable.
For a while now, the ground will be covered in mulberry berries, but they eventually disappear, eaten by insects or decomposed by microorganisms.
The badgers have to eat their fill now, while they have chance.
