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If Trees Could Sing - Farmer Jason & the Hackberry
Farmer Jason talks about the hackberry tree. © Gregg Roth

Stories in Tennessee

If Trees Could Sing: Farmer Jason

Family entertainer Farmer Jason talks about the benefits of trees like the hackberry.

Farmer Jason is the family music character created by singer Jason Ringenberg, singer and leader of the pioneering Nashville roots rock band Jason & the Scorchers. He created Farmer Jason to educate and entertain children about farm life and the wonders of nature. Some of his Farmer Jason albums include: Nature Jams, Rockin’ in the Forest, A Day at the Farm and Christmas on the Farm. 

More music artists talk about trees . . . 

Farmer Jason Farmer Jason talks about the hackberry tree for The Nature Conservancy's "If Trees Could Sing" video series.
Common Hackberry
Common Hackberry A common hackberry tree stands in a field. © Verne Wilkins

Cool Tree Fact

Did you know... forests are home to almost half of the world's animal species?

Hackberry Facts

Plant in late fall or winter when the tree is dormant, unless the ground is frozen. Allow plenty of room for the tree to mature and grow. Water regularly in its first three years.

  • Scientific name: Celtis occidentalis
  • Range: across the East and Great Plains, northward from Arkansas, Tennessee and Virginia
  • Height: up to 80 feet tall
  • Fruit: produces hard, red berries that many species of birds eat
  • Fall colors: leaves turn yellow
  • Closely related to the sugarberry, although the hackberry's bark is rougher and more corky, and its leaves are broader with toothed edges.