Utah’s Mulberry Trees Are Living Relics Of A 19th-century Silk Experiment That Never Quite Took Off

All over Utah, and particularly in the Southern part of the state, you can find dark green mulberry trees shading the roads and people's yards. How did a tree native to China come to grow in this dry desert climate?

Silk Dreams: The Attempt to Cultivate a New Industry

The reason has its roots in the same time as early pioneers where trying to grow cotton in the St. George area. It became known as Utah's Dixie when Brigham Young sent settlers from the Southern parts of the U.S. to try and grow cotton.

A lesser known history is at the same period of the late 1800s, they tried to grow and manufacture silk. Brigham imported 100,000 mulberry trees from France along with silk worm eggs to kick start the production of silk for clothing.

Growing Mulberries: The Link Between Trees and Silk Worms

Silk worms eat the fruit of the mulberry tree and the idea was to plant the trees and grow the worms. These trees were distributed throughout the state and those that ended up in Southern Utah thrived.

Ripe black mulberries grow on a tree branch.

Although they did make silk from the cocoons, the industry never became sustainable and was gone by 1905. However, the mulberry trees remain. These trees grow quickly and provide good shade.

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These days the male trees are mostly planted as they don't bear the fruit that makes a mess of sidewalks and walkways. However, the trees produce clouds of pollen in the spring that can be a nuisance for those who suffer from allergies.

When you see a mulberry tree in Southern Utah, you now know the story about how it arrived here with the little worms from China.