Chicken of the woods

Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) is popping up on trunks across Burley Old enclosure, its' near florescent orange easy to spot against the verdance of spring growth. This is a perfect example of a young mushroom here on a hulk of truncated Beech.

Chicken tree

This year continues to be a bumper year for Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus).

Baby Beefsteak

 

I spotted a baby Beefsteak fungi (Fistulina hepatica) tucked away in the ragged bole of a fallen veteran tree. It was fresh and completely unmarked. It looked as if the tree were sticking its' tongue out at us, or blowing a raspberry. Made me think. Mushroom season will be coming around soon. If it remains as dry as it has been though, mushroom season will be a very thin affair indeed.

Chicken dinner

Someone has grabbed themselves some tasty fungi for dinner, a lovely fresh bracket of Chicken of the Woods. It looks like it's been harvested fairly recently  allowing a good look at the flesh, and it's easy to see how it got its' name. Remember, always 110% on identification, and they can cause gastric upset to some.  

Fungi

 

A little reminder of the potential seasonal bounty to come, a young Beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica) errupts from a ancient beech trunk. Soon throughout the stands and amongst the woodland fringes the fungi realm will reign. It's a fascinating world, and one we've yet to fully understand, though we know enough to know they're essential to the whole damn thing. Plenty are edible too, several classified as edible good, though just as many are not, and if you're not 110% certain, leave well alone, some mushrooms are fatal. And as for Beefsteak fungus? Well, it's an edible, and I've eaten it on a couple of occassions in the past and will pass on eating it again in the future; bitter, rubbery, weird, would all be appropriate adjectives to employ. It looks a wrongun too.

Chicken on Yew

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) is often found growing on Yew (Taxus baccata) trees, although as I mentioned to in a previous post it's best avoided due to safety concerns. Why? Well. All parts of the Yew are highly toxic, and there's some debate within the fungi fraternity as to whether or not the Yews' toxins leach into the fruiting body of the Chicken of the Woods; some will say the flesh is safe to eat whilst others say it's not, so with the jury out I for one will give them a miss. It’s not like they don't grow on plenty of other trees.

Tree chicken

More and more clumps of Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) are bursting out all over the forest; their vibrant hues easy to spot amongst the greens and browns of the stands. Easy to identify and hard to misidentify, versitile to cook, tasty, and listed as 'edible good' in most books on Mushrooms, Chricken of the Woods is a favourite among wild fungi munchers. Be warned though, although listed 'edible good' Chricken of the Woods can cause dizziness and stomach upset in some; collect when young before they become woody, avoid specimins growning on Yews, and remember, if you're not a 110% leave well alone.

Ay up chuck

 

Small yellow bubbles of Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) burst out of the trunk a veteran Sweet Chestnut on one of Wilverleys' forestry tracks. The first I've spotted this year, and right on time too.

Red-Belted Bracket fungus

I'm fairly certain this is Red-Belted Bracket fungus (Fomitopsis pinicol); it'd be mad if it wasn't, what with it having a distinctive red belt and all.  Sources conflict as to whether this fungus is common or rare in the UK, all say common across all of Europe, some though say rare in Britain and Ireland. Either way I think this is one.

Black Trumpets

In my opinion Black Trumpets (Craterellus cornucopioides) are the hardest of the 'edible good' mushrooms to find; sneaky little buggers with a talent for effective camouflage amongst the leaf litter they're often found in. However the recent flood waters, now retreated, scoured most of the leaves away with them, making these Black Trumpets easier to spot; I reckon there would've been some larger examples before the scouring too.

Cauliflower

 

A perfect example of a young Cauliflower fungus (Sparassis crispa) on the edge of Dames Slough; often they'll grow through sticks and bracket, the lobes and folds becoming filled with debris, but these folds were clean and pristine. Listed as 'edible good' they're a tasty mushroom; this one would be a good one for cooking as usually their a bugger to clean.

Yellow Staghorn

A clump of Yellow Staghorn (Calocera viscosa) bursting through a thick carpet of sphagnum moss in one of Vinney Ridge enclosures' coniferous stands.

Orange Birch Bolete

 

One member of the Bolete family which has done particularly well this year is the Orange Birch Bolete (Leccinum versipelle), wherever there's open rough grass and heather edged woodland you'll find dozens fruiting, all shapes and sizes; they're always a prominent autumn mushroom, though this year they're that and some. There are quite a few similar looking mushrooms in the Leccinum family that you'll see out and about, some much rarer than others, but the Orange Birch Bolete is by far the most common. They're listed as edible good; personally I'm not a fan. Firstly, because you have to cook them good and proper (20 minutes) as they're mildly toxic creating common gastro issues associated with fungi; I'm not that hungry. Secondly, they turn black when cooked, and can colour whole meals; again not that hungry.  Looking good out there though.

Nice haul

 

Mushroom season appears to have begun, late but better than never; I've enjoyed a couple of good hauls in recent days, enough to have a quantity drying and plenty for eating. I'm always grateful for the opportunity to gather some of natures' harvests, and give thanks to the land. Even though there's plenty of Ceps (boletus edulis) about I took only what I could reasonably process, being either by eating or drying, and left magnitudes more in peace. As Mando would say - this is the way.

Red velvet

Usually the Beefsteak fungi (Fistulina hepatica) I see have a burgundy hue to them, this example on a long ago fallen trunk was bright red; popping out of a fold in the wood it looked as if the tree was sticking it's tongue out at me, or blowing a raspberry. How rude.   

Chuck

 

A couple text book examples of young Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) clumps bursting from a weathered oak trunk; very nice.

Not this morning

 

Oh huzzah, yet another wet and overcast summer day in the woods; not even this Common Stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) could be bothered to rise to the occasion, not this morning. That said, of course it's nice out in the forest at any time; it's just I was quite looking forward to a summer. 

Beefsteak

Add Beefsteak mushroom (Fistulina hepatica) to the list of mushrooms out and about.

Oysters

Nice find.  An extensive spread of fresh young button Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) clumps on a fallen beech in Mark Ash Wood. The rains have really brought the forests' fungi to life. I've now seen Oyster, Summer Cep, Chanterelle, a variety of Russula and Puffball, and plenty of others whose identities are unknown to me. The forest continues to riff on that autumn vibe. 

Chicken's hatched

First Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) I've spotted this year; a good healthy clump too; could be a week or so old, still good enough to eat though.