Spindle

A special addition to the posies this week is spindle berries. These striking and unusual fruit tend to grow in forest edges and hedgerows in chalky soils. It has small insect-pollinated flowers in early Summer which ripen into hot-pink Autumn fruit. These fruit then split open to reveal bright orange seeds. They are often planted in gardens and parks for their wildlife value and Autumn interest. Although they look appealing, the berries are poisonous if consumed, so caution should be taken if you have small children.

The 'spindle' name comes from the fact that the wood is very hard and can be sharpened to a point. It was often used for making wool-spinning spindles and for butchers skewers. The spindle tree is also an ancient-woodland indicator and so if you find it when you're out and about, it could be that you're in a rare habitat that has been around since the 1600s and that now only covers 2.5% of the UK.

To treat someone special to a posy next week, please click here.