northeast-flora-and-fauna

If you've been in some of the damper outdoor areas over the last month, there's a pretty good chance you've run across our Skunk Cabbage . Note that this is different from (though related to) plants called ... Skunk Cabbage  and Skunk Cabbage (found in the western US and Asia respectively). The name comes from the plant's skunky odor and large leafy appearance; there's no evidence that skunks use it to make coleslaw or sauerkraut . 😁 Though humans may not enjoy the smell of this plant, it could be considered one of the earliest harbingers of spring. Skunk Cabbage is one of the few plants capable of generating temperatures way above (nearly 100F above) ground/air temperatures. While other plants can't muscle through the frozen ground, the Skunk Cabbage can melt its surrounding soil enough to sprout up before its plant neighbors. And this ability no doubt lets them handle at least short cold snaps that might kill off other early-sprouting plants. March 22, 2022...

Here's some Skunk Cabbage I saw earlier this month. This is an interesting plant.  Since I have almost no sense of smell, I can't personally appreciate the smell though that's probably what it's best know for. Apparently the flower (see the non-green part in the picture below) emits the smell to attract pollinators; while you might not like the smell, pollinators know there's a feast waiting for them. If the leaves are damaged, they can also emit this odor. This might deter some animals that would like to eat their leaves, or just stomp on them to get to other food. They're a bit of a misnomer; they're neither skunks (obviously) nor cabbages (less obvious). They're in the araceae family . They are thermogenic plants ; they're able to raise their temperature higher than the surrounding environment. While most plants have to wait for the ground to thaw before appearing, the Skunk Cabbage can get the jump on most other plants by generating its own heat...