Monday 9 September 2013

ID: Chicken of the Woods

No written identification information in this post - for that you must check your guidebooks!  This is simply a collection of photographs for you cross-reference what you have found, as Chicken of the Woods can often look quite different to the pictures shown in guidebooks, depending on what stage of growth it is at.
Important information:

- Chicken of the Woods does not agree with everyone (or is that vice-versa?), so you should only try a small amount for the first time and see if it has any ill effects. If not, gradually build up your portion size until you are sure you are OK with eating it

- Never pick Chicken of the Woods when it is growing on trees such as Yew, Eucalyptus, or other non-native species, as it has been found to absorb some of the toxins and make people quite sick when eaten! As a golden rule, no edible funghi should ever be eaten off toxic trees such as the deadly Yew tree



Photo taken on 29/08/12


Photo taken on 29/08/12

Photo taken on 16/08/13

Photo taken on 16/08/13

Photo taken on 16/08/13

Photo taken on 19/08/13

Although Chicken of the Woods is a very easy mushroom to identify and is almost impossible to mistake with anything else, I was once tricked when I saw a flash of orange on an Oak tree when out cycling, though upon further inspection is was a very young Oak Bracket (Pseudoinonotus dryads)

This is not Chicken of the Woods!


Photo taken 01/08/13
The picture below shows the young Oak Bracket exuding a red liquid - something a Chicken of the Woods will never do

Photo taken 01/08/13


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