The conker season has arrived in Britain weeks earlier than usual with a bumper crop to satisfy children and expert "Conquerors" alike.
A mild spring followed by a hot, yet damp summer, is being credited with producing an abundance of horse chestnuts.
Conkers usually only start to fall from trees in late September but this year they have already started falling a full month early and long before the season usually starts.
Kew Gardens spokeswoman Tarryn Barrowman said: "It looks like we're heading for a massive crop of conkers - they've been dropping at an amazing rate already.
"Higher than average temperatures and exceptional rainfall this summer have accelerated the developments of horse chestnuts.
"The combination of weather this year has prompted the early fruiting of conkers and other trees as they have begun shutting down for winter earlier than normal."
Organisers of The World Conker Championships, held in Ashton, near Peterborough are also hoping for a record year.
Secretary for the Championships, Kate Hadman said: "We've had record numbers of entrants to the competition already, and entries are flying in thick and fast.
"With a bit of luck, we'll be able to break last years record, and raise more than #25,000 for charity."
Chairman of the Ashton Conker Club, 'King Conker' David Jakins said: "The early crop of conkers certainly bodes well for this year's championships.
"We've got people coming from all over the world to take part in the Championships and a record number of entries.
"We are expected around 500 entrants and 5000 spectators. The event has become so popular we have moved to a new site to accommodate the high level of interest.
* The Common Horse Chestnut "aesculus hippocastanum" is not native to Britain. It originates from the Balkans but is widely cultivated across temperate zones.
It was first introduced to Britain in the 1600's as an ornamental tree in Elizabethan gardens. The seeds of the horse chestnut, are toxic to humans and animals but fatalities are extremely rate
The game is conkers played by two people, each equipped with a conker threaded onto the end of a piece of string. Players take turns at whacking their opponents conker with their own conker, with the aim of smashing their opponents conker to pieces. The winner is the player whose conker is still attached to the string.
It is thought that conkers probably evolved from a game called ‘conquerors’, which was originally played with snail shells. Historical records show the game was also with hazelnuts but by the 20th century these earlier playthings had been replaced by horse chestnuts.
By Simon Boyle
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