Dwarf Mistletoe

Anyone walking in the woods of the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont will most likely find mistletoe, known here as dwarf mistletoe, a parasitic plant that parasitizes evergreens such as spruce. They have very reduced shoots and leaves (mostly reduced to scales) with the bulk of the plant living under the host's bark. Severe dwarf mistletoe infection can result in a reduction in tree growth, premature tree mortality, reduced seed and cone development, reduced wood quality, and increase the susceptibility of the host tree to pathogen and/or insect attack. (source: wikipedia). That said.....they have many other uses in my world. Here a hummingbird(far right side of branch) uses one for a morning perch near the feeder.