‘The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown, of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown’…and we’re bringing in the evergreens for the festive season – holly, ivy and mistletoe as well as the firs…
Holly (Ilex aquifolium)is, according to The Woodland Trust: “Festive, neat and prickly….a well-loved shrub that shelters birds and gives hedgehogs a cosy place to hibernate.” It often bears its prickly leaves lower down as a defence against grazing animals:
Scientists recently discovered that holly trees adjust their spiky armour in response to hungry animals and changing environments. They can produce some prickly leaves to fend off nibblers while others remain smooth.
This leafy transformation happens through epigenetic modification. This is a fascinating way that organisms adjust their gene expression without actually changing their DNA. So although the DNA of all holly trees is the same, they can switch off or on different traits to adapt to their environment. (https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk)
Ivy, much maligned but such an important late forage source for bees, butterflies, wasps, hoverflies and other insects. Creeping ivy is now ramping around our old apple tree but it’s use for wildlife far outweighs it’s inconvenient growth rate! Robert Morgan, Norfolk Wildlife Trust Reserves Officer has this to say about this fascinating plant: ‘Like the holly, ivy is one of the few native woody plants that remain green through the winter. As a result, it was considered magical and played a part in pagan worship as a sign of fidelity. This reverence of ivy continued into Christianity, and no traditional Christmas garland is complete without a woven sprig of ivy. It was also believed that during Christmas merriment, placing an ivy garland on one’s head would prevent the wearer from getting drunk. Ivy was also a mark of intellectual and sporting achievement. In ancient Greece, it was actually ivy that formed the laurel that was used to crown winners of poetry or athletic events. The ivy leaf shape is instantly recognizable, and its symbolism and form have been used in jewellery, carving and illustration since the dawn of human creativity.’ (https://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk > blog)
The most mysterious winter plant must be mistletoe, spread by birds, especially the mistle thrush. Several years ago I successfully germinated a seedling that has now become an abundant growth, providing masses of berry laden bunches for sale at our Christmas Café sale last week. Kate Blincoe, writes in today’s Guardian ‘Country Diary’ article:
“Wildlife seems to like it as much as we do, and if you’re patient, you can make like a mistle thrush and spread it around. For a parasite, mistletoe has a unique position in our hearts: from Greek mythologies, where it offered a gateway to the underworld, to the druids’ ceremonial links with fertility, which probably seeded our modern-day kisses under the mistletoe. It is, in fact, a hemiparasite, gaining its energy in two ways. Rootlike structures called haustoria penetrate the bark and extract the tree’s water and nutrients. It also photosynthesises with those distinctive pairs of curved, leathery leaves. Like most parasites, it is a burden for the host tree, often affecting its growth.
However, mistletoe is disproportionately important in the ecosystem and is considered a keystone species. Without it, the creatures that benefit directly from it (like the mistle thrush and mistletoe marble moth) decline – yet the impact is wider. One study found that in woodlands where mistletoe was removed, species richness fell by 20% and a quarter of woodland birds were lost.
I find a low shrub of mistletoe on an apple tree. The pearly white berries look almost translucent against the evergreen leaves. I pick some. Just a sprig to hang for Christmas kisses, and a few berries to see if I can propagate the plant. Mistletoe is usually spread by birds eating the fleshy berries, then rubbing the slimy residue from their beaks on to the tree or excreting the intact seed. The viscous coating on the seed enables it to adhere to a branch.
I squish a few berries, finding the seeds within, my fingers coated in the gluey gunk. Like a mistle thrush cleaning its beak, I rub the sticky seeds against the branch of a mature apple tree until they hold. Germination can take months, so patience must follow. Some people spread festive cheer. I spread parasites.” (Kate Blincoe, Country Diary: There’s more to mistletoe than Christmas kisses’, The Guardian 20.12.25)
Yesterday, in a mild winter sun I was pleasantly surprised to see a first white flower of a very early snowdrop under my little apple tree at the back of the plot…harbinger of spring to come!
Warm wishes for a very Happy Christmas and festive season, wherever you may be!
Jenny Bourne
20.12.25