TREE CANDLES

Every day something in nature catches my eye and earns my utmost respect. Currently it is the magnificent “candles” of the horse chestnut trees. They are just phenomenal and are the flower spikes of the tree.

The arrangement of floral parts differs between the flowers within each candle, with only a few flowers able to produce fruit (conkers) and the rest used to attract pollinators.

The flower spikes can be as much as a foot in length and consist of both male and female flowers. The flowers are initially mostly white, streaked with yellow nectar guidelines for pollinators. These guidelines turn to a deep

crimson once the flower has been pollinated. This is even more impressive when you learn that bees can’t see the colour red, so once pollinated the flower is “switched off” as far as the bees are concerned. How amazing is that?

The pollen from the trees, which can be seen in the pollen baskets on the honeybees legs, is a distinctive brick red or crimson colour – so you will know where they have been foraging.

The Aesculus Hippocastanum is known as the horse chestnut because when the leaves fall, the stalks leave a scar on the twig, which resembles the shape of a horseshoe complete with nail holes.