Natural chain that hangs the mistletoe

Mistletoe is a wonderful plant, and not just for Christmas. It is actually a vampire, a parasite which sucks water and minerals out of the trees it grows on, drawing the sap out with such power it can leave the trees short of water.

For Christmas, though, this has been a great year for mistletoe. The season began well in February and March when the flowers came out in dry, sunny, weather and were pollinated well by early flying insects. "You could walk into an orchard and hear the buzzing from early emerging insects looking for nectar," says Jonathan Briggs, an ecologist and mistletoe specialist. Sunshine and showers over the summer and autumn made the berries swell, leading to plenty of big succulent fruits now.