Category Archive

By CMG Kathleen S.

Christmas decorations with mistletoe from flickr.com

It is challenging to realize we are only weeks away from Christmas.   Christmas is that wonderful time of year full of Holiday traditions.  Being kissed under a sprig of mistletoe is one of those traditions.  An 1820 quote from Washington Irving has an early reference, “the mistletoe with its white berries hung up, to the imminent peril of all the pretty housemaids.”

Kissing under the mistletoe tradition from flickr.com

Mistletoe (Phoradendron tomentosum) is a hemi-parasite, meaning the plant gets part of its energy from photosynthesis and the rest from nutrients siphoned away from a host tree.  Deciduous trees are the primary targets but cacti can also be affected.

Mistletoe on a Hackberry tree from sbs.utexas.edu

Mistletoe with white berries from sbs.utexas.edu

The female mistletoe makes a seed and that seed is inside a small white flower.  The seed is covered by “viscin” which is a sticky glue.  Birds are responsible for spreading the seed into the upper branches of trees. Once this seed attaches to the tree bark, it forms a penetrating root.  Host trees can be damaged by this hemi-parasite but the most susceptible are trees already %26 Read more “Mistletoe Facts”

Excerpts from an article by Rebecca Finneran, Michigan State University Extension, February 2016

Pollinators are essential to our environment and are uniquely linked to our food supply. They pollinate more than 85 percent of the world’s flowering plants and are ultimately responsible for the seeds and fruits and vegetables eaten by humans.  Pollinators and native bees will feed on many different types of flowering plants in your landscape and garden.

Bees will forage on hundreds of different flowering plants, but they especially love purple, blue, white, yellow, mauve or violet flowers. Using UV light, bees see things in flowers our eyes cannot, including patterns, colors and markings, which enables them to pilot directly to a “landing pad” leading to the pollen source.

Flower, Human Vision by Zachary Huang, MSU

Flower, Insect Vision by Zachary Huang, MSU

Colorful annuals and herbs can really pack a punch with attractive colors while providing a long bloom season.  Other annuals such as tall salvia (Victoria blue or white), lantana and Pentas add color and provide nectar and pollen for many bee species.  Perennial favorites such as bleeding heart, foxglove and Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ bring in the late-spring show audience and larger bees %26 Read more “Smart Plants to Support Pollinators”