Horse Chestnut Crisis

Posted by AG (London, United Kingdom) on 2 October 2006 in Plant & Nature.

Our beloved Horse Chestnut trees, Aesculus hippocastanum, have been hit this year by a combination of leaf miner moth and bark fungus as a result of which thousands of the trees are expected to die. This is the worst crisis for English trees since the loss of nearly all of our Elms from disease in the 1970’s.

In the background shot, you can see the telltale blotches on the leaves which indicate all is not well. Currently, it is estimated that over 50,000 trees are affected but only next spring will reveal the full extent of the losses.

BBC - Blight-hit horse chestnuts dying

- AG

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Comments (1)

AG from London, United Kingdom

* a good job that kids don't seem to play conkers these days then! it'll be a sad day if these wonderful trees become scarce; they are incredibly beautiful and (like every boy of my age) formed a huge part of my childhood: that eager wait for the conkers to fall.[reply]david @ 2006-10-02 09:29:49

* excellent composure.The capture of light and shadows enable you to take in the full range of textures and shapes of the nuts and foilage.[reply]ct @ 2006-10-02 11:18:42

* That is so sad. Trees are so precious and define the character of where we live so. I hope the trees surprise everyone.[reply]Dave @ 2006-10-02 13:25:56

* sad news indeed, my pic for tomorrow is such a leaf and i guess it has the same desease (but i had no clue) ...
lets hope there is some genetic diversity in this species allowing part of the population to survive.[reply]hans @ 2006-10-02 14:59:19

* like the composition of 2 shots, but in the upper photo there are to deep shades (in my mind) and the upper and bigger shot is not really crisp[reply]Karl Baumann @ 2006-10-02 16:39:43

* I was unaware of this problem. I wonder if it is affecting the chestnuts in my area. I must find out.[reply]sandy @ 2006-10-02 21:38:19

* That is a terrible shame!! We lost dozens of oaks last year all around our property, but no one else around us seems to have. A few years ago, I read that a species of trees in the USA that were lost to disease decades ago have finally made a come back. I do hope the damage is not as severe in the UK.

This is the loveliest post of the autumn season that I've seen thus far. Nicely done. The still shot in the corner is wonderful!![reply]micki @ 2006-10-03 00:55:35

* This has the immediate feeling of Autumn, but now having read your info and looking closer, it has a damaged sadness, such a pity, I hope they can cure the disease somehow.[reply]fotojo @ 2006-10-03 04:56:38

* Beautiful shots man! Always love them,,,,
[reply]Shazeen Samad @ 2006-10-03 05:31:09

* That is shocking. So far, it was thought that the leaf minor moth did no severe damage besides making the leaves drop earlier, but this news makes me think that maybe after several years this weakens the tree and gives the fungus a chance to attack. The leaf minor moth came in Flanders due to the global warming, before that she could not survive the winters here. I suppose it is the same in the UK ?[reply]Hildegarde @ 2006-10-04 22:27:55

* Thanks to Everyone who made Comments here.
There is not much being said about this problem with the trees other than , yes, we have a problem. As I say, next spring will be when we know just how bad this has been.[reply]AG @ 2006-10-06 18:35:56

6 Sep 2009 9:10pm

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