Fruits of the Spindle

Inspiration was hard today after the departure of the snow, everything was looking lank and lifeless in the grey light until I happened to see these Spindle fruit in the hedgerow having escaped the hedgecutter's blades.

The Spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus) so called because this was the wood spindles were made from to spin the thread of wool, the forerunner of the spinning wheel. The shrub is harmful to eat for animals and humans except the goat and the powder made from the leaves and seeds was used to get rid of lice.

This particular specimen has mostly discharged its seed as the lobes of the pink fruit have opened into flower-like shapes. The earlier flowers are small with pointed petals and yellow green in colour.