Biodiversity , Current Affairs , Mistletoe , Orchard , Science , Travel

Mistletoe website, auction and survey news

by: Jonathan BriggsPosted on:

Running late on so many mistletoe matters this season. And hardly had time for blog updates. So here are a few bits and pieces of info, just to get things moving and answer some questions: Mistletoe crop 2014 – looking good, lots of berries. And, for all those journos who insist on writing silly stories about a berry glut (or shortage, if doom’n’gloom is your forte) being due to a hot/cold, dry/wet, winter/spring/summer/autumn (take a […]

Biodiversity , Current Affairs , Mistletoe , Orchard , Science

New season mistletoe – loaded with berries

by: Jonathan BriggsPosted on:

New season mistletoe looking good. Lots of berries – again… We seem to have several good berry seasons in a row. This year they’re even turning white early – with some almost fully white (though not yet translucent) already. That fits with other fruiting trends this season – many other plants’ fruits and berries ripened early too. The mistletoe berries aren’t all green though – plants still in shade still have solidly green berries. Our […]

Biodiversity , Current Affairs , Mistletoe , Religion , Science

Oh no, it’s mistletoe season again!

by: Jonathan BriggsPosted on:

Mistletoe season is looming ever larger. Again. And despite it happening this time every year, I do feel it’s taken me a little by surprise this season. Lots still to do and to plan. Including reporting on current mistletoe matters here. This season I’m planning to; re-launch the Mistletoe League project, making a clearer distinction between the management survey and the fruit varietal preference survey (if you don’t know what that’s all about, visit british.mistletoe.org.uk). […]

Biodiversity , Mistletoe , Orchard , Science , Uncategorized

Mistletoe problems in western orchards – getting worse?

by: Jonathan BriggsPosted on:

The issue of ‘too much mistletoe’ has been on my mind again recently – helped along by email correspondence from Gillian Bulmer, who owns orchards at Little Breinton, Hereford and by a recent letter to the Hereford Times by Chris Fairs, formerly of Bulmers cider and an expert on orchard tree management. The issue is one I’ve raised many times before – though it is often difficult to get the concept across, especially to the […]

Biodiversity , Blogroll , Mistle Thrush , Mistletoe , Orchard , Science

Fallen mistletoe – good enough to eat!

by: Jonathan BriggsPosted on:

Last week’s storms brought down yet more mistletoe-laden trees in our local orchards, and I went to look at a few in yesterday’s sunshine. None of the casualties were a surprise – they were all old, neglected apple trees, with far too much mistletoe on them for long-term survival. The storms have (probably) just accelerated some already inevitable deaths. Nevertheless it is always upsetting to see these trees down, especially in the location pictured here, […]

Doctor Who , Mistletoe , Religion , Science

Dr Who, Mistletoe and werewolves…

by: Jonathan BriggsPosted on:

“Omigod!!!” Mistletoe has just featured in Dr Who!! Sorry about the OmiGod, I know it’s getting a bit passe now*. But Dr Who and Mistletoe – what more could one ask for?? Ok, so it wasn’t exactly explained why european mistletoe kept an alien werewolf (more correctly a ‘lupine wavelength human variform’) at bay, but it did seem to work. The Doc and his companions (including Queen Victoria) survived unharmed for a while in a […]