What do conker trees look like?

Conker trees, or to give them their proper name 'Horse Chestnut' trees are most easily spotted in the spring when they're covered by blossom.  The blossom on a Conker Tree is particularly easy to spot as it's big, white and 'cone shaped'. As Conker trees age, they’re then most easily spotted by their large spikey husks - which then go on and fruit, revealing / dropping the nut that we know as the ‘conker’.

Conker Tree in blossom

Conker blossom

The blossom (or the flowers) on a Conker tree is what then turns into the conkers.  If you look closely, you'll see that once the flowers of the blossom fall off, they turn into small spikey buds.

Baby Conkers

It is these buds that eventually grow, and turn into Conkers - falling off, and revealing the glorious conker nut that we're all familiar with.

What Young conkers look like

In parks like Peckham Rye (where Peckham Conker Club is based) conker trees surround the park.  Horse Chestnut trees were a popular choice of tree particularly in London, when London parks were being designed in the later Victorian times (1880's / 1890's) so you'll find a large number of conker trees in places like Brockwell Park & Dulwich Park.

When do conkers grow?

The peak time for conkers is late September to early October.  There is generally a 4 week window in which the Conker trees (aka Horse Chestnut trees) drop their nuts.

Where do conkers grow?

Conkers grow on Horse Chestnut trees, and are most distinguishable by their spikes husks, which when opened up present a wonderful shiny nut - aka the ‘conker’.

Horse Chestnut trees were particularly popular in the late Victorian age, a period when many parks in England were planted - which is why you’ll find parks in cities like London covered in conkers in the Autumn (September through October).

Conkers are now somewhat of a hazard, especially for cars - as they drop in London parks and cover the roads, and dent parked cars!