Gizz a kiss!

Piece on the news the other day about the annual mistletoe auction in Tenbury, Worcestershire, and they interviewed one woman who said she had come all the way from Aberystwyth, because "we don't have mistletoe in Wales", and I wondered why not?  Well, it seems that it's not so much that they don't have mistletoe in Wales, but rather that it's rare.  Indeed it's rare in most of Great Britain apart from an area in the south-west Midlands - notably Herefordshire,Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.  Just why it is so prolific in that area is a matter of debate - the usual explanation is that this is where all the apple orchards are, and mistletoe grows well on apple trees. But there are apple orchards in other parts of the country, so there must be more to it than that.  It seems it may be a combination of apple trees and beneficial climate. Anyway, it seems this is a good year for the plant with lots of berries.