Monkey Puzzle trunk

Wouldn't fancy bending over in front of that....They look like the points of a knife.....DODGY!!! (lol)

that's a definite touch-me-not ...

They are truly sharp. Called monkey puzzle because monkeys can't work out how to climb them?

think that's the legend, how true, though ...

I think I'll make do and just look them in other peoples gardens...... although I love the shape of them.

Me too.
Although I like the fact that Whitby jet comes from petrified monkey puzzle tree leaves!

wow, didn't know that! I'd seen something about Whitby Jet, how some of the so-called is fake, or at least not "proper" jet, though I can't remeber how one's supposed to tell the difference. But didn't know what trees it came from - shows how climate has changed over the last few thousand, or hundred thousand years

True, and all the lions or sabre toothed ones gone as well!!

I went around the Tower of London a couple of months ago (around, not in!); they have statues of a lion and a couple of lionesses - not sure whether that's archaeological or a nod to when the Tower housed a zoo.