R is for rosehips

 In the summer the native dog rose looks lovely in our hedgerows but the flowers died off some time ago and now we have rosehips.  They are just little splashes of colour almost hidden in hedges where the hawthorns have rather more profuse fruits.  Wild rosehip looks as though it has been put there deliberately by someone with a paintbrush.

Wild rosehips were particularly important during the Second World War, when rosehip syrup was made as a source of vitamin C when supplies of some fruits were scarce.  I can remember rosehip syrup being served with milk puddings at school in the fifties.  

I’ve mentioned foraging earlier in this series but I’ve never collected rosehips for food.  I am happy to leave them for birds and other wildlife.  Besides, they look so pretty in the hedgerows.  They don't need to be picked, cooked or preserved to be worthwhile.  They can simply be admired.