Spring is in the air! Well, almost. Spring air can have a pungent, as well as a sweet smell. We write this while it minus 4 degrees as we wait for the first harbinger of spring, the often stinky Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) to peek out of the seeps and tiny brook at a nearby wetland. Sometimes we find spathes peeking out of the mud along the water’s edge or even under the snow in January, though it is usually March before wet woodland blooms with Skunk Cabbage.

As spring progresses, the Skunk Cabbage is joined by Marsh Marigold in the brook and little wetland. Then the woodland flowers (three species of Trillium, Toothwort, Violets, etc.) follow. Skunk Cabbage spathes (a modified leaf) are usually maroon or wine colored but sometimes are mottled with green, tan and yellow spots or stripes. There is nothing ethereal or delicate about Skunk Cabbage (a member of the Arum family) like the white and pink May flowers that come later. Skunk Cabbage is sturdy appearing but easily crushed by a wayward step. Both the ‘blossom’ and the leaves live up to their name and give off a skunk-like odor, especially with a warm breeze.

Read the rest of the Scarths' column in our March issue...