View allAll Photos Tagged MISTLETOE
Mistletoe Tyrannulet - Zimmerius parvus - Малый москитолов
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Caribbean slope in the Cordillera Talamanca, Costa Rica,11/03/2014
Plicosepalus curviflorus (Benth. ex Oliv.) Tiegh. (Loranthaceae)
Acacia bushland, alt. 340m
Tana River, Meru, Kenya
a leathery-leaved parasitic plant that grows on apple, oak, and other broadleaf trees and bears white glutinous berries in winter.
Parasitic mistletoe growing on corkscrew mesquite, quite dense plants on the winter-barren mesquite, with bright white mistletoe berries seeming to mix with the corkscrew pods of the mesquite
Pendant / Brooch combination. Link chain necklace with hand fabricated links which can also be worn independently.
Vitreous enamel on copper; sterling and fine silver, hand fabricated setting. Spring steel pin. Vesuvianite (idocrase), peridot, Canadian jade (nephrite), tourmaline.
The Mistletoe collection is obviously inspired by colonies of parasite Mistletoe plants, their surreal circular shapes seeming to float among the branches of the trees they colonise. Its status among humans has ranged from sacred plant to pest, but the truth of it is that, as with everything in nature, it is an ecologically important plant that offers food and refuge to wildlife.
The first two pieces date back to 2010, and I gave them new sterling frames in 2021. As most of my collections, I come back to it time and again, producing more pieces.
Something that didn’t dawn on me until much later is that my subconscious had driven me to design all of these as little gates or portals, through which a backlit view of spring appears, dappled sun glittering though the new, yellow-green leaves sprouting from branches. Thus the full name of the collection is Mistletoe: portals onto spring. The theme of greenery, fronds, roots, branches and particles floating in the sunlight spills out onto the frames.
The enamel is always in yellow-green to emerald green shades typical of spring, with a combination of techniques used ranging from wet-packing, dry sifting, over-firing and, always, painting on enamel with vitrifiable paints. Multiple firings are necessary, ranging from 910 to 810 °C. For this collection I use a range of stones in green shades, from the waxy opaque yellow-green of serpentine to super glittery, transparent micro-faceted vesuvianite… peridot, nephrite, green spinel, emerald-coloured chrome diopside… Sometimes I add a contrasting touch of warmth with, for example, garnets.
Completely handmade, they feature faceted green tourmalinated quartz briolettes, creamy white freshwater pearls and gorgeous faceted garnet marquise gems, all dangling below sterling silver wire rosettes. The pair is completed with handmade sterling silver ear wires.
The earrings dangle at just over 1.5 inches, including the ear wires.
4/12/10
Druids hold a misteltoe ritual at Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire. Experts are concerned that the decline of traditional cider orchards will lead to the loss of the mystical plant which grows on host trees. Mistletoe is regarded as a higly magical plant by druids. Photo Caroline Edge.
Dwarf Mistletoes (Arceuthobium) are parasitic plants that are found in the spruce, fir and pine forests of the Grand Canyon area, where the plant draws nutrients and water from its host tree.
The various species of dwarf mistletoe are considered pests as they distort the branches and shoots of the trees that they infect. In addition, severe infection can cause a reduction in tree growth, increased tree mortality, reduced seed and cone development, reduced wood quality, and an increased susceptibility of host trees to pathogen and insect attack. Mistletoes have very reduced shoots and leaves (mostly reduced to scales) with the bulk of the plant living under the host's bark.
They are dioecious, individual plants being either male or female. The fruits that follow fertilization are unusual in building hydrostatic pressure internally when ripe and shooting the single sticky seed up to nearly 50mph. The seeds are enveloped in a glue-like substance called viscin. Many fail to land on a suitable host's shoot, but just as many succeed, and in this way they are spread through the forests.
Dwarf mistletoe is a variety of mistletoe. It is a parasite that leeches water from trees and can kill trees branch by branch if not managed.
Attribution: Photo by Stephen Leonardi courtesy of NASF.
Completely handmade, they feature faceted green tourmalinated quartz briolettes, creamy white freshwater pearls and gorgeous faceted garnet marquise gems, all dangling below sterling silver wire rosettes. The pair is completed with handmade sterling silver ear wires.
The earrings dangle at just over 1.5 inches, including the ear wires.