Every spring, I pause to appreciate this blossom lined street.  Granted, it’s not as wonderful as the earlier spring cherry blossoms, but I still think it’s awesome.

In the autumn, the chestnuts are pretty awesome, too.  That’s when the nuts drop.  On a street like this, can you imagine how often the car alarms go off?

That’s not the only fun.  The nuts have a thick, fleshy cover – – and that’s covered in spikes! They’re called conkers.  They remind me of some Ninja weapons seen in video games.  It would be awful to step on one, much less be hit by it.

There’s an old story out there that chestnuts ward off spiders.  One year I scattered nuts in corners & closets but didn’t notice any difference.  I did feel a bit foolish cleaning house but leaving the nuts behind the couch.   Perhaps it’s the spiked conker that spiders don’t like?  I’m not about to leave any of those rolling around the house.

There are 2 common kinds of chestnuts used as decorative trees in Victoria.  I’m told one is the kind we hear about ‘roasting on an open fire.’  The other is a horse-chestnut, which I’m assuming is for using the nuts as horse feed?  Perhaps it’s like corn: some kinds are good eating, others are better for feeding stock.

Anyway, spring is the best time of year for me to tell them apart. One blooms a lovely reddish, the other a soft creamy colour.

As for which is for ‘roasting’ & which is for ‘horses,’ I just don’t know.  Can you help out with that?

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