Photo by Public domain (iNaturalist) on iNaturalist · CC0 (public domain)
Chicken of the woods
Laetiporus sulphureus
- When
- Typically July – October — July, August, September, October. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it grows
- Shelves on standing or fallen hardwood, especially oak. Same tree fruits for years.
- How to know it
- Overlapping fan-shaped brackets, bright orange on top, sulphur-yellow underneath with tiny pores — never gills.
- Look-alikes
- No deadly double, but specimens on conifer, eucalyptus or yew cause reactions in many people, and old tough ones upset stomachs. Take young growth from hardwood only.
- Harvest and use
- Only the tender outer edges. Cook thoroughly; texture genuinely like chicken.
- Caution
- Try a small amount the first time — a minority of people react to it even when correctly identified.
Found in these regions
Is it ready near you?
Get this week's foraging guide for your area
Enter a town, postal code or ZIP and we'll tell you what's in season right there this week — from your local climate, this week's weather and your ecological region.
Also ready in September
FruitAugust – SeptemberBeach plum
Prunus maritima
Low sprawling shrub in the sand, with dusty purple plums about the size of a marble.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
NutSeptember – OctoberBlack walnut
Juglans nigra
Tennis-ball green husks lying under a tall tree with long compound leaves; the husk stains everything it touches brown.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0
FruitAugust – SeptemberChokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Long drooping clusters of dark red-to-black cherries on a small tree with finely toothed oval leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.