Chicken of the woods

Horsham, West Sussex, July 2025

Happy Fungi Friday! 🍄

My wife sent me a photo while she was out for a walk with friends and asked, what’s this?

It was this.

This is a massive old boundary oak stump next to a cricket pitch. There was a game going on at the time actually, but they were playing the wrong game unfortunately.

I’ve not seen a lot of chicken of the woods in recent years, which possibly says that I am spending less recreational time in woodland or just generally spending less time around trees. It’s fairly common on oaks in Sussex and the south-east.

It was a joy to see because it was in such exceptional condition. The colour was magnificent.

I didn’t pick any for the pot. This blog is focused on photos rather than cooking, and I want more people to be able to witness this and feel inspired by the wonders of fungi.

Ecologically the fungus was growing from a cavity in the core of the stump, where another world of decay was taking place. Perfect!

Thanks for reading 🍄

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