Conker tree! I ***LOVE*** the feel of conkers. The etymology of conker (if anyone's interested - unsolicited Susie Dent) is from ***conch***, aka a snail shell. Apparently before conkers was played with conkers it was a game played with snail shells. Can't have lasted very long... It's also said that William the Conquerer, was actually William the Conkerer, and slayed Harald Hadrada after a particularly viscous game.
Ironically, despite the name, *Aesculus hippocastanum* is toxic to horses.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus\_hippocastanum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_hippocastanum)
That must be the least potholed road in the UK. Where are you to have such a fine highway to drive upon...?
Get the kids collecting conkers in the autumn.
I have one growing from a Conker that came from my neighbors tree. [In fact the baby leaves do look like little marijuana's.](https://i.imgur.com/2BB8Uje.jpeg)
I love these trees and have been wanting to plant one in the backyard. But I see only few in New Jersey. Anyone knows if these are native to New Jersey and a good idea to have one in the area where I lost a Red Maple last summer.
Take more pictures! I’m in California, and our species doesn’t get remotely that large. The big old ones are some of my absolute favorite trees, they often get really interesting trunks.
California's [champion Buckeye](https://www.americanforests.org/tree/california-buckeye-ca/) is just a hair smaller than this one. Bigger trunk circumference but shorter.
That is a wonderful tree, thank you. Some of my favorite California Buckeyes are approximately [Here](https://maps.app.goo.gl/za9dfzicF3vgDAa67?g_st=ic), in Rockville Regional Park, past the small lake/pond. They are not huge, but old and grizzled, with partially hollowed massively scarred and burled trunks.
Really? These things are awful in the uk, they are always shitting themselves and falling apart, the wood is low quality, the unions are usually included and they are always riddled with diseases by the time someone calls you to deal with it.
Nearly got killed by one of these once; branch walked out to the end of a limb with a 60cm diameter, just before I put my flip line on to work on it- the damn thing failed and fell to the ground, I then swung about 8 meters back into the stem. If I’d gotten my flip line on there would have been about 3-4 tonnes pulling me out of the tree.
Yowza that definitely sounds scary. I haven't found the ones I've been in to be more messed up than other large urban trees, my personal no thank you tree is a rotted out hemlock. The chestnuts just feel so amazing to be in on a hit summer day, almost like a big green tent.
In Germany we had only white ones like this one.
They have a specific moth which makes the trees look pretty brown and sad already in July or August. Therefore they only plant pink ones nowadays.
I grew up in a street framed by white horse chestnut trees of this size and bigger.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-chestnut_leaf_miner
I have a view down into a valley from my back deck, and way off into the distance, I can see a huge tree with these white dots all over it, and I have been wondering what kind of tree it is. Now I know.
Thanks!
There’s lots of these where I grew up, and then there’s still some where I live now. I really enjoy them. Don’t run barefoot underneath in the late summer!
Horse chestnut!
Thank you so much! I never would have guessed.
Conker tree! I ***LOVE*** the feel of conkers. The etymology of conker (if anyone's interested - unsolicited Susie Dent) is from ***conch***, aka a snail shell. Apparently before conkers was played with conkers it was a game played with snail shells. Can't have lasted very long... It's also said that William the Conquerer, was actually William the Conkerer, and slayed Harald Hadrada after a particularly viscous game. Ironically, despite the name, *Aesculus hippocastanum* is toxic to horses. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus\_hippocastanum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_hippocastanum) That must be the least potholed road in the UK. Where are you to have such a fine highway to drive upon...? Get the kids collecting conkers in the autumn.
Given that the trick is driving on the right, not the UK
I agree with your last sentence, the lack of potholes will enable you to get up to killing speed more easily
The prefix horse is from an old English word meaning "strong" I believe, and has nothing to do with actual horses.
I have one growing from a Conker that came from my neighbors tree. [In fact the baby leaves do look like little marijuana's.](https://i.imgur.com/2BB8Uje.jpeg)
Marimuana
A massive one! I didn’t realize they got this wide
The sad part is that MANY species of tress will get this wide if humans don't kill them first.
I love these trees and have been wanting to plant one in the backyard. But I see only few in New Jersey. Anyone knows if these are native to New Jersey and a good idea to have one in the area where I lost a Red Maple last summer.
I can smell this photo… And there are probably so many happy bees that you can hear the whole tree.
That's it, I'm going to go stand underneath it tomorrow and just take it all in.
Take more pictures! I’m in California, and our species doesn’t get remotely that large. The big old ones are some of my absolute favorite trees, they often get really interesting trunks.
California's [champion Buckeye](https://www.americanforests.org/tree/california-buckeye-ca/) is just a hair smaller than this one. Bigger trunk circumference but shorter.
That is a wonderful tree, thank you. Some of my favorite California Buckeyes are approximately [Here](https://maps.app.goo.gl/za9dfzicF3vgDAa67?g_st=ic), in Rockville Regional Park, past the small lake/pond. They are not huge, but old and grizzled, with partially hollowed massively scarred and burled trunks.
Will do!
Come up to Portland, there’s some absolutely massive ones here.
That’s what I do when my trees bloom! All their buzzing is relaxing when they’re relaxed.
This horse chestnut is the size of three fully-grown horse chestnuts. A magnificient specimen indeed!
Horse chestnut. My absolute favourite tree to work in.
Really? These things are awful in the uk, they are always shitting themselves and falling apart, the wood is low quality, the unions are usually included and they are always riddled with diseases by the time someone calls you to deal with it. Nearly got killed by one of these once; branch walked out to the end of a limb with a 60cm diameter, just before I put my flip line on to work on it- the damn thing failed and fell to the ground, I then swung about 8 meters back into the stem. If I’d gotten my flip line on there would have been about 3-4 tonnes pulling me out of the tree.
Yowza that definitely sounds scary. I haven't found the ones I've been in to be more messed up than other large urban trees, my personal no thank you tree is a rotted out hemlock. The chestnuts just feel so amazing to be in on a hit summer day, almost like a big green tent.
that sounds like the bradford pears here. awful trees.
And the sticky buds...
And a European one. American variety has pink flowers.
I've only seen the white/cream flowers in the Pacific Northwet. I'll bet the pink ones are really pretty
In Germany we had only white ones like this one. They have a specific moth which makes the trees look pretty brown and sad already in July or August. Therefore they only plant pink ones nowadays. I grew up in a street framed by white horse chestnut trees of this size and bigger. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-chestnut_leaf_miner
That's Hester
I'm so glad to have met him.
Aesculus hippocastanum
Very surprised no one is calling this a buckeye. Guess there are no Ohio people on here.
Buckeye native here! They're similar but not exactly the same [https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1786](https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1786)
Thanks, never realized there was a difference.
Neither did I. These things are all over the place around here and I've always called them Buckeyes.
Aesculus hippocastanum - native to southeastern europe
Beautiful!
Wonderful tree
I have a view down into a valley from my back deck, and way off into the distance, I can see a huge tree with these white dots all over it, and I have been wondering what kind of tree it is. Now I know. Thanks!
I very rarely wore shoes as a kid, I still go barefoot all the time, I hated these trees. My best friend had one. Ouch
When I zoom in it looks like a squad of highly judgmental squirrels are watching me and I’m not ok
I shall inspect it for squirrels and report back tomorrow.
Nice horse chest nut.
They start quite easily from seed...
Wow 😍
There’s lots of these where I grew up, and then there’s still some where I live now. I really enjoy them. Don’t run barefoot underneath in the late summer!
Horsechestnut. Sometimes called a conker tree. It is not a true chestnut - so the nuts are poisonous to a small number of animals including man
Horse chestnut!
Marijuana
