Something round and pink

Spindle (Euonymus europaea), a deciduous native tree, a sign of ancient woodland found in woods, hedges and hedgerows. The berries and leaves are toxic to humans but were used in the past to make a treatment for headlice. The wood is very hard and was used to make spindles for spinning (hence the name) needles for knitting and skewers. 

In some areas, it was  thought that if the spindle flowered early, an outbreak of the plague was on the way. I photographed these berries a few days ago but couldn’t get into this woodland in spring due to lockdown, so I have no idea when the bushes flowered. 

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