Mother Nature doesn’t pay much attention to winter weather advisories.
She’s already preparing for the arrival of spring. Though winter may look silent and frozen, there’s new life stirring under the snow and ice.
In the forest, the layers of fallen leaves are a nurturing blanket. Already, the first new growth of the year has emerged and is pushing through that blanket. If it hasn’t already, it will soon flower and announce its presence with a mildly unpleasant odor.
One up-close whiff and you’ll know why it’s called skunk cabbage, even though it’s not a member of the cabbage family, and it doesn’t smell like a skunk.
The plant is uniquely suited for survival in the coming weeks of winter weather, even providing an organically heated sheath to protect its flowers.
Look for it along small streams, and in the sloughs and seeps of the Oak Openings Region.
