'Tis the season where mistletoe really comes into its own and one of the best places to see it is in traditional orchards where its globe like structure can be seen infesting the apple trees that it loves. There are numerous different species but only one occurs in the UK, the European mistletoe Viscum album (the latin name literally translates as ‘white goo’!). It is an evergreen species but becomes most visible during the months of November to March when trees lose their leaves and the mistletoe itself is covered in its white berries. It is not limited to apple trees though and will often be seen in other species such as poplars, hawthorn and oak.
Mistletoe is our County flower in Herefordshire, no doubt because we have so much of it, but this status doesn’t appear to be widely known or celebrated. Whilst, the plant itself is attractive and intriguing, the flowers themselves are unimpressively small, yellowish white and appearing between February and April. I suspect they are rarely seen!
It is a semi-parasitic plant that taps into the nutrients of its host tree some of which suffer as a consequence, resulting in reduced growth, stunting, and loss of infested outer branches. At the Wildlife Trust we manage a number of traditional orchards that are either on our nature reserves or privately owned and managing mistletoe is an important part. Some Mistletoe is great for wildlife but removing excessive mistletoe growth helps to maintain the health of the trees.
Its berries are much loved by bird species like the mistle thrush (from which it gets its name) and the Black Cap. The latter is increasingly over-wintering in the UK and is possibly the cause of an increase in our mistetoe because it tends to wipe the sticky seeds from its beak on the bark of trees from which new plants can establish. A mistle thrush will often aggressively defend clumps of mistletoe in winter when food reserves are low.
Did you know, one of our most practiced Christmas traditions - kissing under the mistletoe - comes from Victorian times when a boy could win a kiss from a girl for each mistletoe berry he picked from his bunch. This game probably originated from a Norse legend in which the goddess Frigga declared mistletoe a symbol of love.
So clearly there are many ways in which we can enjoy our county’s mistletoe!
This article was originally written for publication by Westons Cider: "Westons Cider is proud to be a Corporate Member of Herefordshire Wildlife Trust. We are committed to working together to protect and nurture our beautiful surroundings, making it a part of our every day business ethos."
