Worcestershire Mistletoe

Orchismic · #1 (**permalink**) 08-01-2010, 06:39 PM

Would some kind soul be able to tell me whereabouts in the county of Worcestershire I can photograph indigenous mistletoe. Directions and/or grid ref. would be a grateful advantage. Thankyou.

tufftie · #2 (**permalink**) 08-01-2010, 06:51 PM

It's all over the place - just look up lol

Orchards can be good though but there's lots around in general

poschiavanus · #3 (**permalink**) 08-01-2010, 08:09 PM

Unfortunately Jonathan Brigg's mistletoe pages (www.mistletoe.org.uk) no longer have detailed information on British distribution: although I think Worcestershire is one of the few places where mistletoe is present in just about any 1km grid square.

He did write a paper quite some time ago in British Wildlife, see this link for details: Briggs, J., 1995.

As tufftie says orchards, particularly older trees are the best places to look. Many fruit farmers encourage mistletoe so that they can sell it as a by-crop at the traditional auctions at Tenbury Wells.

Other places to find mistletoe are modern housing developments (say from 1980s), particularly if planted with Rowan. Old Lime trees, some forms of Poplar, and perhaps less commonly, False Acacia (Robinia) are all other host plants.

Jez · #4 (**permalink**) 08-01-2010, 08:36 PM

From my observations from Bewdley over Clows Top down to Tenbury Wells ( where druids bless the Mistletoe at the markets before sale) and onto Little Hereford is an abundance from tree to tree! You can see it on a few branches along the Severn from Bewdley to Trimpley Reservior and in Kidderminster on the trees of gardens of old houses on the Sutton Park Road between Stourport and bewdley!

davecatt · #5 (**permalink**) 08-01-2010, 09:04 PM

I've been closly observing nature for more than 50 years now and though I've seen misteltoe in the wild in other parts of the country I've never come across it in my local area until until chrismas day. I spent christmas with friends who live five minutes walk away from me and we got talking about mistletoe and I was surprised to learn that one of them had spotted some growing on a silver birch in the grounds of a local school just round the corner, a place I walk by on a regular basis, so on my way home had a look and found she was not mistaken. Which made me realise I don't take as much notice of my surroundings in town as I do when out in the countryside.

davidbr · #6 (**permalink**) 08-01-2010, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchismic

Would some kind soul be able to tell me whereabouts in the county of Worcestershire I can photograph indigenous mistletoe. Directions and/or grid ref. would be a grateful advantage. Thankyou.

I don't know anywhere in Worcestershire, but there's plenty on the approach road and in the car park at WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, which isn't a million miles away.

Orchismic · #7 (**permalink**) 09-01-2010, 10:40 AM

May I extend a big, massive thankyou to, tuftie, poschiavanus, jez, davecatt and davidbr for your kindly responses to my query. I live on the north-west fringe of the Peak District and a far a I'm aware no mistletoe exists in my local National Park... (I have a strange premonition I may just be corrected on a site as comprehensive as this is!) I was invited on a winter wildlife odyssey to Wielkopolskie, north-west Poland this time last year where pompoms of bright green littered the treescape as far as the eye could see. I half joked about setting-up an enterprise selling it to England. Polish humour is very different to ours!

Fuzzy-felt bloke · #8 (**permalink**) 09-01-2010, 01:25 PM

Warwickshire College at Pershore has a great amount of mistletoe on its campus, the best place being around the staff car park, also they are located on small trees which will allow you to take very good photographs. Just pop into reception and ask the lovely ladies if you can take some photographs.

Fuzzy-Felt Bloke

poschiavanus · #9 (**permalink**) 09-01-2010, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchismic

... I live on the north-west fringe of the Peak District and a far a I'm aware no mistletoe exists in my local National Park... (I have a strange premonition I may just be corrected on a site as comprehensive as this is!) ...

too right: Derby City Council - Flora of Derbyshire - Viscum album (Mistletoe)

Mistletoe is at the edge of its natural range in the UK: but its generally easy to see from any motorway in Europe during the winter. In France its pretty common in Poplar plantations. There's quite a bit visible on the autoroute between Geneva and Lausanne. On the road up from Briancon to Montgenevre in the French Alps there is lots of the subspecies which grows on conifers (not present in UK).

Quite a bit of Christmas mistletoe is imported already, mainly from France.

posch