Has anyone found Chicken of the Woods this year?

[sarah64]

Just interested to know if anyone has found Chicken of the Woods this year. I haven't seen it for years but I was in a place with some fallen oaks and it had something akin to Chicken of the Woods growing on it. Unfortunately didn't get a picture.

[flaxton]

I found my first a month ago and my latest only a couple of days ago so it is still appearing. I seem to think that there have been coments on here that there is lots of it about this year.

Mal

[sarah64]

Originally Posted by flaxton

I found my first a month ago and my latest only a couple of days ago so it is still appearing. I seem to think that there have been coments on here that there is lots of it about this year.

Mal

Oh wow, that's really interesting, thanks Mal. I'll have to see if I can get back over that way to take another look.

I looked up Chicken of the Woods on Google and came across a US site that suggested there are two types, the usual rounded one and a flatter type. Have you come across that or is that just in the US do you think?

[juliohevia]

I have found one last week with Oak.

[Andy Overall]

Originally Posted by sarah64

Just interested to know if anyone has found Chicken of the Woods this year. I haven't seen it for years but I was in a place with some fallen oaks and it had something akin to Chicken of the Woods growing on it. Unfortunately didn't get a picture.

Hello Sarah,

There has been a fair amount of C.O.W. this year. It appears earlier than you might think, with most fruitings occuring usually during late spring, early summer into the summer months, with sporadic fruitings throughout the autumn.

Andy

[Ditiola]

Hi

I found this one on Oak on 6th June, but not found any since then

Peter

[sarah64]

Originally Posted by Andy Overall

Hello Sarah,

There has been a fair amount of C.O.W. this year. It appears earlier than you might think, with most fruitings occuring usually during late spring, early summer into the summer months, with sporadic fruitings throughout the autumn.

Andy

Hi Andy

We went on a foray with the Dorset Fungus Group back in 2004 and the group found some. If I remember correctly it was the spring. After that on our own we found two small ones and that was it, haven't seen any since although to be fair we don't get out as often due to work etc.

[sarah64]

Originally Posted by Ditiola

Hi

I found this one on Oak on 6th June, but not found any since then

Peter

That's a nice find. You see that looks flatter and thinner than the stuff I've seen in the past, which has been rounder and thicker. Are there different types do you think or does it go thinner as it gets older?

[sarah64]

Originally Posted by juliohevia

I have found one last week with Oak.

Nice. Did you harvest any?

[NickCantle]

Originally Posted by sarah64

That's a nice find. You see that looks flatter and thinner than the stuff I've seen in the past, which has been rounder and thicker. Are there different types do you think or does it go thinner as it gets older?

Sometimes you can find layered brackets of it, other times the brackets are just like lumps of flesh. I prefer the fleshy ones! Also, the layered brackets seem to be more orange and the lumpy one seems to be more sulphur/egg yellow! Just a variable species more than an actual variation methinks!

Nick