Skunk Cabbage Blooms

Thursday March 4, 2010

Yesterday afternoon Irvine’s naturalists ventured out into the woods to collect sap from our maple trees (it’s still maple sugaring season here!).  Even though a lot of the snow we received in February has begun to melt, there are still parts of Irvine’s property where the snow is at least 6” deep.  However, the days have started to get noticeably longer, the temperatures are rising ever so slightly, and there’s just this feeling in the air that spring is just around the corner.

As we hiked down to the maple trees tapped in the lower, wetter part of the property, curiosity led us further into the woods.  I was search for one of the earliest signs of spring- blooming skunk cabbage.  Eastern skunk cabbage is a wetland plant that, later in the season, will have larger cabbage-like leaves and a produces a foul odor (it is an aptly named plant, that’s for sure!). 

In late February or early March, skunk cabbage flowers will start to emerge from the ground, like little maroon cones.  These flowers (though they don’t look much like a traditional flower) will often push their way through snow and ice to become one of the very first spring blooms.  Skunk cabbage is in a small group of plants that are capable of thermogenesis, which is the ability for plants to produce their own heat.  This process helps the plant actually melt the snow and ice around it.  These early spring blooms often attract some of the earliest pollinators looking for food, like some types of flies and bees.

The flowers of the skunk cabbage won’t last too long.  Soon, all you will find will be giant, stinky leaves (though I still find that interesting), so I try to enjoy the sight of these flowers for as long as I can.

Skunk cabbage blooms also make me think of the coming spring activity- spring peepers calling, spotted salamanders migrating, phoebes returning from down south, and bloodroot emerging.  Spring is one of the most enjoyable seasons for naturalists, both amateur and professional, so I hope everyone gets a chance to get outside and see what’s happening.