Skunk Cabbage start, home

The sun came out and the weather warmed enough so that Lexi's snow turned to slush and even, in the shade-free spots, disappeared. I no longer needed snowshoes to explore the backwoods, so I put on polar boots and tromped due east towards the seasonal stream, which was now running with something approaching genuine gusto. There were no clear tracks to read and very few birds calling, but the area was not entirely devoid of signs of life. In the low wetland area, I noticed that the Skunk Cabbage flowers must have turned on their internal furnaces. These amazing plants have the animal ability to make their own heat, and the blossoms, hidden within a kind of monk's hood cowl, generate enough warmth to melt snow. In this unusual way, they get a jump on the growing season. Gentlemen... and -women... start your engines.