Spindle

Yesterday evening, as the light was fading (3.30 pm), I was walking the dog around a field I hadn't visited since the summer. From a distance of over 100 yards I could see vivid splashes of colour in the hedge, and I knew I'd missed an opportunity for a photograph. The colour was the remaining seeds and leaves of the Spindle.

The Spindle's name comes from the fact that its wood, which is very hard, was used to make the spindles of spinning wheels. It's a rare tree and hard to find, as most of the time it grows inconspicuously in hedges. With the coming of autumn however, the fruit and leaves go berserk, setting the hedge on fire with colour. Sadly for me, I was two weeks too late to take a photo of this Spindle at its most colourful, the birds had eaten most of the fruit. But I've already made a note in my 2012 diary to visit it next year. My first resolution of 2012.

Fruit of the Spindle - Tim Irving