Location Taken: Ithaca, New York
Time Taken: March 2010
Ah, skunk cabbage, such a beauty in the spring!
Just look at that marvelous green and purple color, the spikes curving like a witch’s hat!
Smell the scent of the swamps they grow in, and the odor that earned this plant its name is only a simple leaf-tear away!
See the rotting material of a swamp in spring providing a fertile breeding ground for the plants that grow in it, and trillions of mosquitoes as well!
The glory of nature!
Ok, I actually really like skunk cabbages, so that wasn’t actually that sarcastic. I rather like that purple color, and my lack of a sense of smell makes the skunk aspect not an issue at all. And I like swamps. They’re awesome breeding grounds for lots of interesting plants, such as the carnivorous ones I’m especially fond of. And hey, when the weather’s warm enough for mosquitoes, it’s often too warm for me! And the skunk cabbage shows its beauty best in early spring, long before the bloodsuckers get going. Plus they’re one of the fly-pollinated plants (hence the smell), AND they can produce heat enough to melt any snow that’s on top of them when they start growing! Those are both really rare and nifty things!
Once it’s grown more, skunk cabbage looks more like, well, cabbage. All green and leafy, not purple and spiky. Not very interesting at that point. So sad, so sad.
