Christmas kisses I
t’s been an odd year but a centuries-old tradition may help us feel a little more normal…will you be hoping for a kiss under the mistletoe this year?
The origins of kissing under the mistletoe are lost in the mists of time. There are Greek, Roman, Norse and Saxon myths alongside folklore of women sleeping with mistletoe under pillows, it’s use in warding off witchcraft and the Druid belief that the plant is sacred because it doesn’t grow from the ground. Whatever its root in our culture, it’s found in abundance in Worcestershire and has its own natural stories to tell.
So, next time you’re standing under the mistletoe waiting for a stolen (and socially distanced?) kiss, just have an eye on what could be hanging above your head!
We’re all familiar with the white-berried plant that grows in trees but, contrary to common belief, mistletoe is actually only partially parasitic. The green leaves contain chlorophyll that, through photosynthesis, enable the plant to manufacture sugars from carbon dioxide and water. Mistletoe does, however, steal water and minerals from the host tree (although this doesn’t appear to damage the tree). Trees are important places for wildlife and, where it grows, mistletoe gives this an extra dimension, creating a hanging zoological garden full of sucking, burrowing and predatory invertebrates. How about mistletoe weevils, for example? They’re only 2-3mm long and the larvae live within mistletoe stems during spring and summer. Or the mistletoe marble moth that mines within mistletoe leaves? Look closely and you can see evidence of its existence as brownish ‘tunnels’ just under the surface of the leaf. Watch clumps of mistletoe at this time of year and you may catch sight of birds feasting on the berries. A mistle thrush will guard a tree full of mistletoe from all other birds, keen to keep the banquet to itself. Brave blackcaps may well sneak in to try and grab a few berries to keep their bellies full as their insect-food becomes harder to find in the cold weather. This activity is important for spreading mistletoe – beaks are wiped on branches or, more often, the berries are digested and deposited as sticky droppings. From this, the mistletoe seeks a way through the bark and into the tree where it can establish new growth. Plants are either male or female and it’s only the females that produce berries.
Mistle thrush by Donald Sutherland
by Wendy Carter, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust
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Mistletoe in frost by Zsuzsanna Bird
26 Completely Bromsgrove
