Mistletoe has been spotted growing in woodland in a Leigh country park, and now local nature lovers are being asked to look out for the seasonal evergreen plant.
The sighting has intrigued naturalists – who don’t often see the iconic evergreen growing this far north – and delighted mistle thrushes, which feed on the waxy white berries.
The Mistle Thrush – by Amy Lewis
A warning though – the fruits of the mistletoe are poisonous to humans.
A growing colony of the plant at Pennington Flash, a 200-acre park west of Worsley and Irlam, has flourished since it was first spotted by rangers from Wigan Culture and Leisure Trust, which owns the park.
In the UK, mistletoe grows most commonly on apple trees, lime and poplar, but also on blackthorn, hawthorn, rowan and willow, and depends on birds to disperse its seeds.
It is highly sought-after for use as a winter decoration and there is a long-held tradition of kissing underneath bunches of mistletoe.
Wildlife Trust Wigan Projects Manager Mark Champion said the sighting was great news for local bird populations.
“Mistle thrushes get their name from the fact that they eat mistletoe – and other voracious eaters of the fruit are blackcaps, warblers with olive-grey upper bodies and distinctive black or red crowns.”
The Blackcap warbler – by Amy Lewis
“It is rare for mistletoe to be found this far north, it is commonly found in orchards in places like Leicestershire and on false acacia in Surrey.
“We believe it was ‘planted’ on a poplar tree and has spread to other trees in the park and outside the park.”
Mistletoe is an evergreen but is best seen from November to February when great balls of it hang from the branches of bare trees.
Main image: Zsuzsannah Bird
