Wild Wednesday - Chicken of the Woods
Chicken of the woods is a sulphur-yellow to orange coloured fungus that gets its name from the texture of its flesh, which resembles cooked chicken – so they say! It’s one of a few “bracket fungi” in the UK - growing off trees trunks and branches like a shelf or a 'bracket'.
It’s quite common and can be seen on trees (both dead and alive) in woods, parks and gardens from June to November, also known as “sulphur polypore.” Found in tiered clusters mainly on oak trees, but it also likes beech, chestnut, cherry and sometimes yew. A single tree can produce several kilos of this fungus.
Chicken of the woods is a vital species, as it supports a wide range of wildlife. Some beetles only feed on bracket fungi like chicken of the woods, including the hairy fungus beetle, and it’s also eaten by deer.
Read more here: Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) - Woodland Trust