Downs in snow (copyright Jill Parsons)

Family Activity

Welcome to the Horse Chestnut Tree

Stand back and have a good look at the tree – look up to the top branches and then down to where it stands in the earth.

Can you see a face in the trunk?

Go a little closer and look for a hole in the trunk – what (or who) do you think lives in this hole? Is it an animal or something else?

Do you know the name for the seed of the horse chestnut – it’s very prickly on the outside! The seeds of this tree were fed to horses to make their coats shine brightly!

Photographs © Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project.