RHH's photos with the keyword: phoradendron

These are the berries of Desert Mistletoe, photographed along the trail to Lost Palms Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park.

Photographed along the McKittrick Canyon trail in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, this Oak Mistletoe, a plant that is parasitic on Oaks and other trees.

This is a young Oak Mistletoe plant on an oak. The plant is common in the western USA and is parasitic on Oaks and other trees. This was photographed in McKittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Growing on many of the trees in the Chisos Mountains was the Broad-leaved Mistletoe. This photo was taken along the Boot Canyon trail.

This is a closeup of the strange habit of a strange parasitic plant, Desert Mistletoe. We found it in several different places in Joshua Tree National Park.

This is the Desert Mistletoe forming a huge clump on another tree and probably in the process of killing it. Mistletoe is parasitic and weakens and often kills its host.

Several times on our hikes in Joshua Tree National Park we encountered this strange plant which we recognized as a Mistletoe and later identified as the Desert Mistletoe. Mistletoe is a parasite and in this case was growing on an old Juniper.

This tiny butterfly was photographed in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada. It is the tiniest butterfly in the world and a common insect in the western USA. It is expanding its range, too, reaching as far a Hawaii and the Persian Gulf. Here it is perched on the flowers of the Desert Mistletoe.