Curious about conkers
Are you curious about conkers?
Here are 10 fun facts to enjoy as we welcome in the autumn season:
1. Conkers are the fruit of the Horse Chestnut tree.
2. Not fond of eight-legged creepy crawlies? Conkers release a chemical which spiders hate, so a couple of conkers placed in your home may help prevent spiders entering.
3. Horse Chestnut trees can live to be 300 years old and grow to 40 metres tall!
4. Conkers are poisonous to most animals and will cause sickness if eaten.
5. How many Horse Chestnut trees are there in Great Britain? Research suggests about 470,000 – that’s a lot of conkers!
6. The word ‘conker’ originally derived from the word ‘conch’ and the original game was played with snail shells.
7. The first recorded game of conkers was played on the Isle of Wight in 1848.
8. Normally a conker from a healthy tree would weigh about 8 grams.
9. If you keep conkers with your woollen clothes it could help stop moths nibbling them.
10. Where can you find them in the arboretum? Look around outside the Great Oak Hall on your next visit – you can’t miss them!
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