It’s that time of year again! Horse chestnut trees are beginning to drop their shiny brown conkers, much to the delight of local squirrels in and around the Calder gathering food for the months ahead. 🐿️
I’m wondering — where are the notable horse chestnut trees in and around Blantyre? Perhaps there’s a huge old tree in your street, local park, woodland or somewhere you remember from childhood? I know of a few in the park at Greenhall, only because that’s where I got mine from in the 1970s!
And talking of memories… did you play conkers as a child?
Choosing the perfect conker, threading a string through it and trying to smash your opponent’s was once a familiar autumn pastime. Some people even had their own tricks for supposedly making their conkers harder! Horse chestnuts (conkers) aren’t the ones people eat, being toxic to humans, but they edible by some animals, such as aforementioned squirrels. Instead, it’s a different kind, sweet chestnuts which are roasted for human consumption, having a shell much more prickly than horse chestnuts.
📍 Tell us where you know of a good conker tree in Blantyre — and share your childhood conker memories too!
#Blantyre #Conkers #HorseChestnut #Autumn #ChildhoodMemories
