It's been snowing off and on all day but I found the first flower of the year this afternoon. Instead of the usual hepatica, blood root, or spring beauty, it's the skunk cabbage that is in bloom. This is one of the few plants that exhibits thermogenesis - it can generate heat. Because of this, I knew they were one of the earliest plants to emerge but had never been able to catch them before May. Today I was lucky to find a number of plants in the swamp. The round knob-like spadix is covered w/ tiny flowers. It's protected by a red and green spathe. Especially when bruised the plant has a pungent odor which attracts flies - it's main pollinator. OK, not lovely looking, nor pretty smelling, and it's covered w/ flies but it is the first flower I found. An omen for the rest of the year?
No comments:
Post a Comment