Eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is a common plant found in wetlands of our region. While many plants bloom in the mid-season when pollinators are plentiful, skunk cabbage employs a different strategy. They bloom in the very early spring when few other plants are in flower. There are less pollinators flying around but so too are there less flowers open. This means that the chances of a pollinator transferring pollen from one skunk cabbage flower to another is significantly higher (versus to another plant altogether). Skunk cabbage has another strategy it employs called thermogenesis. It actually produces heat which helps to spread the flowers odor and gives pollinators a warm place to hang out. It gets warm enough that it can actually melt the surrounding snow.
Check out this funky yellow form we found at Norcross! 🌿
