Berried treasures - symbols of Christmas

Traditional Christmas carols celebrate the holly and the ivy, but their use as winter decorations predates the Christian festival. The Romans believed that holly's prickly leaves drove away evil spirits while the Ancient Britons felt that ivy protected them against goblins. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe derives from a Norse myth which decreed that no harm should befall anyone standing beneath this plant and that they should receive only tokens of affection.

Birds also benefit from these three evergreen plants. Holly berries and the black fruits of ivy are a valuable source of food even in the depths of winter for blackbirds, thrushes and fieldfares. Mistletoe, perched high on the branches of apple, lime or oak, depends on birds to disperse its seeds. Mistle thrushes may even derive their name from this plant. Its white fruits contain a sticky pulp that clings to a bird's bill. As the bird wipes the pulp off against a branch, it spreads the mistletoe's seeds.

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