Spindle tree fruit
Slight back blip here, as my silly photo editing software crashed last night, and by the time I had rectified the problem it I needed to go out.
After work at 1.30 I went to Ebernoe to see if there were any Wax caps left, but sadly they are mostly over now, so another thing to put on my 2015 list!
On the way back home largely blipless, I noticed this bush growing in the hedgerow, with amazingly bright pink! fruit!! On further investigation I realised it was a Spindle tree Euonymus europea.
The Spindle is a deciduous tree native to the UK, which can grow up to 9M tall and live over 100 years, although this one was quite small.
The bark and twigs, which are thin and straight are deep green, and the leaves are shiny and waxy with tiny sharp teeth along the edges, and turn a rich orange / red before falling in the autumn.
The hermaphrodite flowers have 4 petals and grow in clusters, and develop into these bright pink fruit, with bright orange seeds which look a lot like popcorn!
The spindle is useful, and is food plant to several species of Lepidoptera, including the Holly blue butterfly. The flowers are a rich source of nectar, particularly the St Mark's fly.
Interestingly, the leaves and fruit are toxic to humans, but in the past the fruit were baked and powdered and used to treat headlice, and cattle mange.
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