Chicken of the Woods (Note: This object is a bracket fungus/mushroom, not an insect)

Grows on dead or decaying hardwood trees, logs, and tree stumps in forests and wooded areas

Saprotrophic and parasitic; absorbs nutrients by breaking down wood and cellulose in host trees, causing heart rot

Forms overlapping fan-shaped bracket clusters; releases spores from pores on the underside during summer and autumn

Benefits the ecosystem by recycling nutrients from dead wood; highly edible for humans when cooked young, though can cause mild digestive upset in a small percentage of people