Ah conkers season. I remember my cousin's husband taking me in his MG to collect them up near Kendal.

They remind me of Ohio Buckeyes which is the state tree of Ohio. Also known as Horse Chestnuts, they appear to be different species - Aesculus hippocastanum referred to here as the European Horse Chestnut, and Aesculus glabra for the North American variety.

Here in Texas, I've seen a Mexican Buckeye for sale, but it is a different Genus in the same family as the other two - Ungnadia speciosa.

Ours have just faded here. There is a small grove of them adjacent to a park I frequent, and I just love those blossoms!

Are you kidding. They are everywhere in this country. I have a giant one and a smaller one in my front yard.

Here's two shots one of the larger and the 2nd of both the larger and smaller when blooming. Those trees have become the bane of my existence. Constant pruning and cleaning up the huge masses of leaves.

Beautiful! I remember horse chestnuts in my neighborhood as a child but that was Olympia, WA, which I hear is very similar to the Southern UK in climate. These don't grow anywhere near my region now.

Aesculus hippocastanum, not to be confused with Sweet or Spanish chestnut Castanea sativa.
I once shared a flat with a guy who mistakenly gathered some horse chestnuts (conkers) thinking that they were edible. I told him of his mistake and he said "I won't need these then" and threw them on the fire, A few seconds later there were a series of loud bangs and the conkers came flying out of the fire.

There are horse chestnut trees in the US though I don't see them that often lately. The neighborhood I grew up in was loaded with them.

Do you remember the old song we used to sing as children...I think the words were taken from George Orwell’s 1984. I like this version by an unknown (at least to me) band Brainwire. - Under The Spreading Chestnut Tree.