A selection of fresh
conkers from a
Horse-chestnut. They are not true
nuts, but rather
capsules. The soft whitish-brown wood can be used for cheap
furniture, boxes and firewood. The nuts are poisonous, but some
Native American tribes leached the pulverized nuts to make them edible. Crushed buckeye nuts have been used by
poachers to kill fish for easy capture. Some animals, notably
deer, are resistant to the
toxins.
Photo credit: Solipsist