Tree Tuesday - Mistletoe in the Desert

Here is some mistletoe for #treetuesday

I got this photo just last month in Arizona when it was still winter and everything was dry. This mistletoe was the only green thing in the area. Tiny little moths and butterflies were all over it. I'm not sure what they were harvesting off of it...

Here is the dry desert area I found the mistletoe in. It was growing off a mesquite tree. Mistletoe is technically a parasite to trees and will harvest moisture and nutrients off its host tree. It does have some benefits to different species of trees as it attracts insects and birds to pollinate their flowers.

In the winter the desert is quite dry and tertiary in color. It was surprising to see the mistletoe looking so vibrant standing out from all the other dead looking plants. Most places just look like this.

Most of the trees in the desert are scrubby cat claw or mesquite.

Also most the native trees have thorns and are twisted and gnarled. Its amazing the birds can land on them without getting speared by their giant thorns.

Here's a blast from the past, I remember when these trees were only a few feet tall. Now they are probably 20 feet tall.

Sparrows and house finches love hanging around inside the cypress trees in the evening. So many fly into these trees you could almost just reach in and grab one if you are fast enough.

For now they are hanging around on the very top now that they can see me walking around below.

The rest of the flock few off in the distance onto a catclaw tree fearing I would try and grab one out of the inside of the cypress tree.

That's all for now, thanks for looking :-)