Chicken of the Woods

This morning in the western woods, above the creek, I came across a beautiful specimen of Laetiporus sulphureus.

Laetiporus is a genus of edible mushrooms. Laetiporus sulphureus is commonly known as sulphur shelf, chicken of the woods, the chicken mushroom, or the chicken fungus because it is often described as tasting like and having a texture similar to that of chicken meat. It can come back year after year. The fungus causes a brown cubical rot and embrittlement which in later stages ends in the collapse of the host tree, as it can no longer flex and bend in the wind. The name Laetiporus means “with bright pores”. Laetiporus sulphureus has a potent ability to inhibit staph bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), as well as moderate ability to inhibit the growth of Bacillus subtilis.