Prickly Nuts....

We have two chestnut trees on the farm, one of which has died (and I blipped it on the 1st May), and the other a big old healthy tree on the bank by our woolshed. This tree is approximately 70 years old.

Chestnuts are produced annually on the tree inside a prickly case called a burr. In the autumn, when ripe, most burr's split open allowing the chestnuts to fall free, onto the ground. The chestnuts in this picture fell off the tree in their burr. Some people like to roast chestnuts on an open fire, however I have never done this.