Tree planting at the yurt camp May 2015
We are always keen to enhance the beauty of the land surrounding the yurt camp and we have in May 2015 planted around 30 horse chestnut trees (conker trees). The saplings will hopefully thrive in the conditions on the hedgerows surrounding the yurt camp and provide the children of the future with a wonderful collection of conkers. Conkers are thought to repel spiders from your home. You should place the conkers on the window sills during autumn to discourage the spiders from entering your home, I have no idea if this really works but I always collect them anyway!
The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen to insects, particularly bees. Caterpillars of the triangle moth feed on its leaves, as well as the horse chestnut leaf miner moth, whose caterpillars provide food for blue tits. Deer and other mammals eat the conkers.
The Horse chestnut tree was introduced to the UK in around the 1600's, An Interesting fact: is the leaf stalks leave a scar on the twig when they fall, which resembles an inverted horse shoe with nail holes. This association with horses could explain why conkers used to be ground up and fed to horses to relieve them of coughs, and could be the origin of the tree's name.
The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen to insects, particularly bees. Caterpillars of the triangle moth feed on its leaves, as well as the horse chestnut leaf miner moth, whose caterpillars provide food for blue tits. Deer and other mammals eat the conkers.
The Horse chestnut tree was introduced to the UK in around the 1600's, An Interesting fact: is the leaf stalks leave a scar on the twig when they fall, which resembles an inverted horse shoe with nail holes. This association with horses could explain why conkers used to be ground up and fed to horses to relieve them of coughs, and could be the origin of the tree's name.
