The Forest remains quiet, birds seem to have fled to cooler climes and away from the margins there is a never-changing tapestry of green.
Which is why a sudden splash of colour seems almost alien in design. I believe this to be Chicken o’ the Woods, 𝐿𝑎𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑢𝑠. It is said that tender flesh from the outer parts does indeed taste of poultry, but I cannot attest to this personally. I prefer to leave fungi majestic in their natural habitat, to admire their bare-faced affrontery of colour and form, so welcome it is when all else is green.
I read in John Wright’s ‘𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑟'𝑠 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟’ that about 15% of people can have an adverse reaction, ranging from stomach upsets to ataxia and hallucinations. This could really bump you in the night.