Snowy Headstones & Mistletoe
What it says really , a corner of the churchyard covered in snow and piled against the headstones . Just off centre to the left there is a tree with lots of mistletoe growing and hanging from the branches .
Mistletoe is an evergreen plant with distinctive forked branches and pairs of symmetrical evergreen leaves. In winter it produces clusters of pearlescent white berries which are favourites with hungry birds such as thrushes.
The plant is 'hemiparasitic', which means it takes some of its food from another plant. It grows on the branches of trees, pulling water and nutrients from its host, while its green leaves also photosynthesise.
There are more than 900 species of mistletoe around the world. The only species native to the UK is European mistletoe (Viscum album) which has the widest host range of all its relatives.
Mistletoe grows in the branches of trees such as hawthorn, poplar and lime, although in the UK the most common hosts are cultivated apple trees.
Despite growing on trees, mistletoe is not generally found in a woodland setting, preferring hosts in open situations with plenty of light. You’re more likely to see it in gardens, orchards, parkland and even churchyards. This means that mistletoe would have been less abundant in ancient times when woodland was more typical.
It's commonly found in Wales, the West Midlands and the South of England, with particularly large populations in Gwent, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Somerset. It was once thought that this clustering was due to the number of apple orchards in these regions, but this has been proved incorrect as orchards are found in locations where mistletoe is absent.
Mistletoe is widely scattered elsewhere in England and Wales, but is rarely seen in eastern and northern England and Scotland.
Snowy Headstones & Mistletoe
What it says really , a corner of the churchyard covered in snow and piled against the headstones . Just off centre to the left there is a tree with lots of mistletoe growing and hanging from the branches .
Mistletoe is an evergreen plant with distinctive forked branches and pairs of symmetrical evergreen leaves. In winter it produces clusters of pearlescent white berries which are favourites with hungry birds such as thrushes.
The plant is 'hemiparasitic', which means it takes some of its food from another plant. It grows on the branches of trees, pulling water and nutrients from its host, while its green leaves also photosynthesise.
There are more than 900 species of mistletoe around the world. The only species native to the UK is European mistletoe (Viscum album) which has the widest host range of all its relatives.
Mistletoe grows in the branches of trees such as hawthorn, poplar and lime, although in the UK the most common hosts are cultivated apple trees.
Despite growing on trees, mistletoe is not generally found in a woodland setting, preferring hosts in open situations with plenty of light. You’re more likely to see it in gardens, orchards, parkland and even churchyards. This means that mistletoe would have been less abundant in ancient times when woodland was more typical.
It's commonly found in Wales, the West Midlands and the South of England, with particularly large populations in Gwent, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Somerset. It was once thought that this clustering was due to the number of apple orchards in these regions, but this has been proved incorrect as orchards are found in locations where mistletoe is absent.
Mistletoe is widely scattered elsewhere in England and Wales, but is rarely seen in eastern and northern England and Scotland.