NEN Gallery

The flowers of the Horse Chestnut are now beginning to open. Horse-chestnut is a deciduous tree with dark grey-brown bark and palmate leaves (divided into 5-7 leaflets). It flowers May - June, each flower has four white petals. In late summer/early autumn it produces globular geen prickly fruits which then turn brown. Each fruit contains a glossy brown round seed. The Horse Chestnut is not native to Britain and was introduced in the 16th Century from Asia/South-eastern Europe but is now one of our most common trees. Picture taken 5th May 2006 at Old Warden, Bedfordshire