The mistletoe plants grow on deciduous trees those that lose their leaves in autumn. It is spread by birds as they eat its white berries and then wipe their beaks on the bark of nearby branches. The sticky seeds put tiny rootlets, thrust up leaves, and begin an extremely long life.
Insects leave mistletoe alone. Winds never blow it down. Wintry ice and parching summers cause it no harm. Virtually indestructible, it dies only when the tree dies. One mistletoe ball was estimated to have survived four hundred years. For the tree, it is only a minor pest, manufacturing its own food from the chlorophyll of its leaves and using the trees simply as a source of liquid and vital minerals.