We were astonished to discover a chicken of the woods close to our home at Winding Pathways. We have about a dozen laying hens in our backyard coop, but what we found wasn’t an escaped chicken.
Fungus
It was an amazing fungus. We’d not seen one before and think our woodsy chicken resulted from a series of weather events. Five years ago, derecho winds of 140 miles an hour knocked down or broke off most of our trees. Following were a series of dry years. That changed in late June 2025 when several bands of heavy rains soaked our area and high humidity filled the air for weeks. The combination of plentiful dead wood, moisture, and a spore landing in the right place created our woodland treasure.
Edible
A Chicken of the Woods is a large edible fungus that loves moisture and feeds on dead wood, especially wood from hardwood trees. The two chickens we found presumably are feeding on the roots of a derecho-killed cherry tree. The fungus is well named. Take a look at the photo and notice the scale-like appearance of the plant and its bands of color. It reminds us of the lacy coloration and markings of our Delaware chickens, one of our favorite breeds.
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- Colorful edges
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- Pair of fungi.
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- Size comparison
The fungus Chicken of the Woods (or Wood as found in some resources) is a large fungus sometimes called a shelf fungus. Many species grow worldwide.
Mushroom enthusiasts consider them, along with morels, one of the tastiest of fungi……….so will we eat ours?
Caution
Well, no. We’ve taught classes on foraging and encourage people to eat only wild plants that are easy to identify and hard to mistake for toxic counterparts. We always caution anyone planning to eat something for the first time to follow these guidelines:
- Positively identify the plant from at least three sources. These could include a paper field guide, a credible Internet website, or a real-life human expert.
- Eat only a small portion the first time. A particular plant may be perfectly edible for most people, but a few people may be allergic to it. Assuming there’s no negative reaction and the plant is positively identified, one can consider adding it to a diet of delicious wild foods.
We are certain that our mushroom is edible, but we remain somewhat skeptical. Not quite sure.
So, for now, our Chicken of the Woods will stay down in our woods feasting on the wood of an unfortunate cherry tree.
A Daily Walk Reveals Serendipitous Treasures
Nature’s always changing. Each day brings new and delightful surprises. We have created pathways through our small woodland and prairies and traverse them at least every other day. We usually spot something new and fascinating on every walk.
