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17 September 2026

The Horse Chestnut Tree in Mid September

This months photo of the tree that is on the playing field beside the village hall where we have our Keep Moving group and  I was surprised to see how much the, thankfully harmless, disease that affects Horse Chestnut trees had increased since last month.. I think the rain spreads the spores and of course Autumn is progressing too so all leaves are gradually turning.



The conkers are hanging on



Horse Chestnut trees were first raised in Northern Europe by a botanist Charles de l'Ecluse from seeds brought from Constantinople in 1576.

There was just the one on the ground which I picked up to bring home to start my winter collection for deterring spiders.

You can see the link to why the similar trees and  their seed in the US are called  Buckeye.






The other mid-month photos are HERE



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10 comments:

  1. Tam17 September 2026 at 07:15

    Where would we be without our trees, so peaceful and calm to walk in the woods. The last photo reminded me instantly of Sesame Streets Grouch monster poking his head out of the dustbin!

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  2. Anonymous17 September 2026 at 07:47

    My mother swore by chestnuts for deterring spiders and every autumn we would put out lots of fresh one on her windowsills. Happy days.
    Penny

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  3. KirstenM17 September 2026 at 07:50

    We found a surprise shiny brown conker in the middle of the garden. How did it get there? Most likely thrown over the fence by the 6-year-old next door, so we threw it back!

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  4. Anonymous17 September 2026 at 13:29

    Lovely to read about this tree. Seems there are very few conkers or acorns this year.
    Alison in Devon x

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  5. Anonymous17 September 2026 at 14:03

    I never heard of horse chestnuts deterring spiders, must do some research. We find them on walks near our place in Maine and they are so fascinating.

    Ceci

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  6. Marcia17 September 2026 at 14:24

    I too am flummoxed by how you deter spiders with those conkers.

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  7. Ellen D.17 September 2026 at 14:29

    You sure know a lot about trees, Sue. I didn't know about the spider deterrent.

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  8. Anonymous17 September 2026 at 14:48

    Hopefully the chestnut tree will recover.
    Chestnuts to discourage spiders is new to me.
    As our weather cools the insects look for cover inside a warm house. I'll definitely look for a few chestnuts.
    Susan

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  9. Sue17 September 2026 at 14:57

    Alan is itching to go out collecting conkers for our windowsills and doorways, but they are not dropping just yet. I found a bag of last years bounty in my freezer so they are currently in situ, when we get some new ones they can go straight to the new place. :-)

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  10. Anonymous17 September 2026 at 15:47

    We’re just waiting for the ones at the school to drop so that we can have some spider deterrent. The tree in the photo looks nearly ready and it’s amazing after the long dry spell. Catriona

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