Conkers

These shiny bright seeds of the horse chestnut are impossible not to pick up when you see them on the ground, gleaming from their green, spiky cases.

It’s widely believed conkers keep spiders away when distributed around the house.

Horse chestnut trees can live for up to 300 years and grow to around 40 metres high. The tree’s flowers can be seen in May and the blooms form beautiful candelabras of white petals, with a pink flush. The tree is native to the Balkans and was first introduced to the UK in the late 16th century.

The first recorded game of conkers was on the Isle of Wight in 1848.