Maybe i Before I say anything else about the Sulphur Shelf or Chicken Mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus, see photos above and below), I need to emphasize that it is very important to know what kind of tree it is growing on! Since the tree is often dead, this can be a bit tricky—but it's important because when the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf grows on certain kinds of trees, it should be avoided! (There are actually distinct species, such as L. gilbertsonii which found on various hardwoods, primarily in California; L. conifericola, which grows on various conifers; and L. huronensis, which grows primarily on Eastern hemlock and is especially common during springtime.) Fortunately, the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf is usually found on trunks, stumps and logs that still bear some bark, which can be the vital clue to identifying the tree—IF you can identify trees on this basis. The bottom line is that if you cannot tell the bark of a black cherry tree from that of an Eastern hemlock tree, for example, you ought to steer clear of the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf unless it is growing on a living tree that you can identify.
SULPHUR SHELF MUSHROOMS GROWING ON ANY CONIFER TREE (PINE, HEMLOCK, SPRUCE, FIR, LARCH/TAMARACK, ETC.), EUCALYPTUS, OR LOCUST TREES SHOULD NOT BE EATEN! Also, as with a number of wild mushrooms and many other foods (e.g. shellfish, peanuts, and milk products), some individuals have allergic reactions to this particular species.
Now that you've been duly warned, I can tell you this: Few edible wild mushrooms are considered as exciting a find as the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf. It has a unique mushroomy flavor and a slightly grainy, meaty texture, and a single dead tree or log will often produce ten, twenty, thirty or more pounds! Because of its texture, the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf is a fine candidate for fresh-freezing, so such a large fruiting needn't go to waste. The trick is to cut the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf into pieces of appropriate size for the cooking pan before freezing (blanching is not necessary) and, most importantly, when you're ready to use some, do not thaw them first: have the cooking pan heating before you even open the freezer door!
As with all mushrooms, it's important to rule out other species. Fortunately, nothing else looks very much like the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf mushroom. The upper surface of the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf is deep orange (sometimes with salmon-pinkish areas), and the lower surface is a bright sulphur yellow. If you look very closely at the undersurface of the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf, you'll see countless tiny pores—the open ends of the layer of tubes in which the spores are produced. The Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf does not have gills.
The Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf is especially common on large oak trees, logs and stumps, but as implied by the warnings above, it actually boasts a long list of hosts, including those mentioned above and a number of others. It's usually a benign saprobe that decays the wood of dead trees, but under the right circumstances the Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf can also thrive as a parasite of living trees. The Chicken Mushroom or Sulphur Shelf is primarily a fall mushroom, but specimens may be found from spring through autumn. Be especially wary of springtime specimens, as the visually indistinguishable L. huronensis, which typically grows on Eastern hemlock (especially during spring), has been known to cause gastrointestinal symptoms in many people.
---I copied the above info from American Mushrooms.
I also know a few guys who call a lions mane a bears tooth mushrooms
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