On 02/12/2012 18:29, Bob Hobden wrote:
"kay" wrote


Bob Hobden Wrote:

I've been reading up too. Turns out the best distributor of seed is the

Blackcap which squeezes out the seed onto a branch without it being
through
it's gut, whereas the Mistle Thrush passes it through and it then might
or
might not land on a suitable branch. Although Thrushes seem to be
reducing
there has been a significant increase in Blackcaps over the last 10
years,


Have you been reading the article in the Garden too?

I liked the yellow berried mistletoe species that they pictured. And was
amazed by the 3 year old mistletoe - about an inch of stem and two
leaves.


Yes, fascinating article and I too was amazed at how slow it grows. They
seem to suggest each break/split in the stem is another year so easy to
age those you see in the shops, possibly ten years of growth.
The yellow berried one that grows on oak on the continent had me
thinking about the "Golden Mistletoe" of the druids which was supposed
to grow on oak. I'm now wondering if the druids were responsible for
it's extinction in the UK.

I must say I've never heard of Golden mistletoe.
The Druids are supposed to have harvested Mistletoe using a golden sickle.
I found this about golden Mistletoe
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/3779692425/