Last week we looked at hawthorn trees and primroses which are native to Ireland.
This week our tree is a non-native. It is a large tree and much loved by children because of its fruits. It has white candle-like flowers which are already out and compound leaves made up of 5- 7 leaflets.
That's right it's a horse chestnut. I'm sure you have all played conkers with the chestnuts. Squirrels and deer eat the chestnuts but they cannot be eaten by humans.
Our wildflower for this week is the buttercup. It can be found in your lawn if you let it grow a bit longer and also in fields and ditches. It is common to hold one under your chin to see if you like butter. If your chin reflects the yellow it means that you like butter.
You could do some drawings of buttercups and chestnut leaves. Do a bark rubbing and press a buttercup to put in your notebook. Write a description of each plant. Or just look at the plants and enjoy them.
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