Light Chestnut

Light Chestnut

Mature horse chestnut trees grow to a height of around 40 metres and can live for up to 300 years. The leaf stalks leave a scar on the twig when they fall, which resembles an inverted horse shoe with nails. This might explain why conkers used to be ground up and fed to horses to relieve them of coughs and might also be the origin of the tree's name. The most famous use of horse chestnuts is the game of conkers, the first record of the game being held on the Isle of Wight in 1848.

The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen for insects, particularly bees. Caterpillars of the triangle moth feed on the leaves, as does the horse chestnut leaf moth whose caterpillars provide food for blue tits. Deer and other mammals eat the conkers.


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