Skunk cabbage opening, Home

For the Skunk Cabbages, the flowering season is pretty much over. The striped spathes—the hoods that kept the "hot-blooded" blossoms well-insulated against the cold—are now open to the weather, and the blooms are mostly all fertilized and starting to develop into seeds. But unlike many plants, where the pattern is leaves first, then flowers, the skunk cabbage proceeds in reverse order, similar to the Red Maple scheme of flowers first, then leaves. Yesterday's snow may have stalled spring's progress, but with the white blanket history, the malodorous plant resumed its celebration of the rebirth season and continued sending leaves skyward. In short order, these will be joined by the emerging foliage of other wetlands plants, from False Hellebores to Jack-in-the-Pulpits, species that don't mind having their feet wet... or covered with snow.