False hellebore

The Skunk Cabbage, the first "wildflower" of the season, is up and leafing out in the wet parts of the woods, but it is often joined by a plant that looks superficially similar, in that both have broad green leaves which, to the unpracticed eye, look temptingly delicious. In many of the wild edibles guides, the authors note that Skunk Cabbage, after lots of preparation, can be made safe to eat, but, according to botanist Carol Gracie, in her splendid book, Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History, the same can't be said of the False Hellebore. It is, Gracie notes, "dangerously toxic." So we'll leave it be, enjoying its characteristically pleated leaves—those of Skunk Cabbage are unpleated—and the welcome shade of green it brings to the soggy, mostly brown ground. At this spare time of year, False Hellebore is food for the soul—and the lens—and that is food enough.