Hips and Holly

Rose hips, Hayes Common, 22 September 2011.

Two more of the many types of berry which are so prolific this year. Rose hips are sweet, tasty and nutritious, but the seeds inside are surrounded by tiny sharp hairs, and if you try to eat one whole you will have some difficulty clearing the hairs from your tongue afterwards.

Hips are a good source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and when I was at school, the children were offered 3d. a pound for all they could bring in. They are eaten and drunk in many forms; the ones we brought in were destined to be pressed to produce rose hip syrup.

Holly berries, Ilex aquifolium. Hayes Common, 22 September 2011.

Holly berries are popular decorations at Christmas, but some will fall, and they are also popular with birds, so there are likely to be many fewer than this when the season comes.

There's a spider lurking at the top right!