The Sebright Club
  • Welcome
    • Our Committee
    • Site Map
  • In The News
  • Fact
    • A Potted History
    • More about Sir John Sebright
    • Breed Standard
    • Breeders Directory
    • Show Dates & Results >
      • 2023 Results
      • 2020 Results
      • 2019 results
      • 2018 results
      • 2017 Results
      • 2016 Results
      • 2015 Results
      • 2014 Results
      • 2013 Results
      • 2012 Results
      • 2011 Results
      • 2010 Results
    • Reading Matter
    • News Articles
    • Sebrights At Home
    • Artist's Corner
  • Photos
    • Photos 2018
    • Photos 2017
    • Photos 2016
    • Photos 2015
    • Photos 2014
    • Photos 2013
    • Photos 2012
    • Photos 2011
    • The Federation 2011
    • The National 2011
    • The National & Federation 2010
  • Fiction
    • Gordon & Sylvia's Diary
    • The Red Fluffy Earmuffs
    • A Seasonal Tale
  • Store
  • Contact Us
    • Membership Form

The Sticky Bud

29/11/2017

 
Moving on from the sometimes rather gloomy blog of yesterday, I was delighted to be able to point out to the youngsters that spring was really just around the corner. It was a beautiful sunny day at Wattlebury and the catkins were already dancing on the hazel tree.
Picture
​We could see buds everywhere once we started looking for them although I explained that if we had a hard winter (perish the thought) - they would wait until the weather warms up before starting to sprout their new leaves.
​Little Dixie and Dougie spotted a rather intimidating sticky bud as it pointed it's shiny finger down at them. 
​"What tree is that, Uncle Gordon?" Dougie asked.
​I explained that it was a Horse Chestnut Tree and of course, being inquisitive, they wanted to know why it was called that. 
Picture
I told them that 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. 
​Their curiosity now unleashed, they wanted to know more. So I continued and told them that the Horse chestnut is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to the Balkan peninsula. It was first introduced from Turkey in the late 16th century and widely planted in the UK. A mature tree can grow to a height of around 40m, and can live for up to 300 years. The bark is smooth and pinky grey when young, which darkens and develops scaly plates with age. Twigs are hairless and stout, buds are oval, dark red, shiny and sticky (like the one pointing at you) and  the palmate leaves comprise 5-7 pointed, toothed leaflets spreading from a central stem.
​"Which are great fun to root in!" added Dixie as her friends joined in the fun.
Picture
​The flowers appear in May - individual flowers have 4-5 fringed petals, which are white with a pink flush at the base and once pollinated by insects, each flower develops into a glossy red-brown conker inside a spiky green husk, which falls in autumn. 
"Yes! We loved playing with those" Digby enthused. 
​I reminded him of his Great Uncle William the Conkerer who was a dab claw at the game, the first record of which was from the Isle of Wight in 1848. Other uses of the conkers besides horse medicines, are as additives in shampoos and as a starch substitute. Chemicals extracted from conkers can be used to treat strains and bruises. And deer and other mammals like eating conkers.
​"Why are there so many bees and birds buzzing around the flowers in the spring?" asked little Dolly.
I went on to explain that the flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen to insects, particularly the 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. 
​As an afterthought, I added that the horse chestnut leaf miner can occur on trees in huge numbers, causing the foliage to turn brown and fall early. We have often seen this happen to the trees on Wattlebury Hill - but there is no evidence to suggest this harms the trees, as most of the damage occurs later in the season.​
Picture
The magnificent Sticky Bud! Gordon xxx

Comments are closed.

    About Us

    Hello! My name is Gordon and I am a Gold Sebright and my best friend is Sylvia. She is a Silver Sebright. We live with our foster parents on a small farm in the country.  We thought that we would put our take on life and what we get up to through the year into a diary for you. All the characters are real and the events are a true record,  interpreted with a modicum of poetic licence. We hope you enjoy it. Love Gordon and Sylvia

    You can also follow us on Facebook -
    Gordon Sebright
    or on Twitter (X.com)
    @GordonSebright
     


    Archives

    December 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011

Website by Gordon Sebright