This Christmas when you pucker up under the mistletoe, consider this: while festive and fun, mistletoe also provides essential food, cover and nesting sites for an amazing number of birds, butterflies and mammals in the United States. There are more than 1300 types of mistletoe around the world, and more than 20 of them are endangered. But don't be fooled; mistletoe can be downright deceiving, as one USGS scientist learned on a recent collaborative expedition to quantify perennial plant diversity in Baja Norte and Baja Sur, Mexico, where he first encountered a "tree with two kinds of flowers." To find out more, check out "Not Just for Kissing: Mistletoe and Birds, Bees, and Other Beasts" or contact Todd Esque at (702) 564-4506 or todd_esque@usgs.gov.
