Mistletoe

Is mistletoe a bad thing?   The plane trees in nearby streets have lost their leaves and now a number of mistletoe growths have become obvious.   When I was growing up, we would shake our heads when we saw mistletoe, thinking that it was "bad" thing in that it could lead to the death of the host tree.

However, I see that an article on the Australian Native Plants Society's website takes a much more positive approach.   Not only does it state that the mistletoes we have are native plants, but it suggests that mistletoe is misunderstood!

On reflection, it does seem the statement that mistletoe provides better food value for birds and even possums than the host tree is likely to be accurate  - it wouldn't be hard to provide more nutrition than the plane trees in the street, especially at this time of year!