Jack in the Pulpit

One of my all-time favorite flowers started appearing in the wetlands over the past few days when an arrowhead of Arisaema triphyllum, a.k.a., the Jack in the Pulpit, shot out of the moist ground and quickly opened to reveal this strange blossom. The pulpit is the striped blossom cover, technically a spathe, that has a beautiful dark interior. The actual flower-containing structure, the spadix, or "Jack," due to its resemblance, in some eyes, to the male sexual organ, graces the center of the structure. "Jack," however, can also be "Jill," since the spadix may contain both male and female flowers. In any case, the plants are not self-pollinating and need to attract wayfaring flies attracted to the unpleasant scent to spread the requisite amount of foreign pollen necessary to ensure a collection of red berries in the late summer. Bad smell notwithstanding, A. triphyllum definitely weaves an attractive spell on me—and my macro lens.