Red mulberry (Morus rubra) is a good guy native. Most people are complaining about the White Mulberry (Morus alba), introduced from Asia.

We plant red mulberries at the bird sanctuary on the immediate coast in sand, but it does even better in good soil.

I think you'll be happy, and so will the critters.

Here is a link that might be useful: Info on Red Mulberry

Ditto to the above.
I planted two red mulberries last fall, and I've ordered one more to plant next fall. I don't think you'll have to worry about messy fruit on the ground - the birds will eat them before they have a chance to make a mess.
Sherry

First Mulberries are good, to eat that is. And the animals will appreciate what you don't harvest. They are super hardy, super tough, and attractive. I would agree don't plant it where it will cover the drive or patio, but other than that it is a great tree. Plant it. The worst that can happen is you dig it up or cut it down later, but the best that can happen is you get a great, fast growing tree. They root from cutting readily. Mine was gift from a neighbor as a cutting 3 years ago. Today, it is twelve feet tall, 6 feet wide, and bearing fruit. Hey, what more can you ask for?

Here is a link that might be useful: My Gardens

Thanks for the responses. 12 feet tall in 3 years sounds great. I miss my shade from my Oak and thought that they grew pretty fast.

Sherry, the link posted by nomad tells how to extract seeds for planting.

That's a good link, pieohmy!
Now that I've read the part that says they're disappearing, I'm really glad I've planted some and will be planting more. Whenever I get fruits, I'll see if I can get some seeds for myself.
Sherry

I'm originally from Queens, NY, and remember walking home from school under Mulberry trees. The fruit was delicious. Haven't had any since then, and would like to grow some in Venice FL. We have quite a bit of land so the fallen fruit (if there is any left after I devour them) wouldn't be a problem. They can take the place of those darned Brazilian Pepper Trees
Would anyone have a small suckling they would want to part with?

I have several unknown mulberries in my yard. If it weren't for the fact they shade the west side of the house I would cut them down. They are very messy, attract bagworms, look horrid in the middle of summer with the brown straggly foliage.... They came with the house. Plus you can't park anywhere cause they drop stuff all the time. And right now they are making me sneeze!!! The birds do like them though & I use the branches in my cockatiels cage.
Tally HO!

Keith, You said they root from cuttings easily. How do I do that? I have one large tree and would love another. They are messy but the birds love them so much. Please tell me how. Is this the time of year to do it?

Mulberries are great. Best of all, plant mulberries near a fruit tree you like to keep the birds away. I have a mulberry next to my pomogranates... birds tend to leave my pomos alone with an abundance of more readily available juicy fruit on the mulberry tree right next to it.

And don't park under them. My truck is totally gross right now. I forgot and parked in the alley. The back is full of leaves and mulberries and you can't see out of the windows.
Tally HO!

bras_cuba what area are you in? I would like to try growing pomogrante too. There is room near my mulberry to fit it in.

I have large mulberry trees too, and my #1 gripe about them is that the birds plant seeds everywhere and I have saplings EVERYWHERE!

We don't park vehicles under the trees, but do have a patio under one of them, and there is a time when it is a mess. We are going to prune it judiciously (is that spelled right?) this weekend.

Other than that, I kind of like them. The birds LOVE them!

Janie

I have a mulberry (ID on GW) that came up on its own. When do they bear fruit? I had my DH chop it down recently because of the worm webs.

Betsy

This is how mulberries got a bad name: once upon a time, there were no electric or gas clothes dryers. Our mothers all hung our clothes outside on clothes lines. Birds ate mulberries. They would fly over the clothes lines, depositing purple you-know-what on nice white sheets. It took boiling and bleaching to remove the stains. End of story.