By the middle of February, many people are hoping for warmer weather. Skunk cabbage flowers are one sign that spring is on the way!
Skunk cabbage flowers don't look like much. They are not showy and colorful like the flowers that bloom later in the year. However, skunk cabbage flowers are pretty special. They are one of the earliest flowers to bloom. Even when the ground is covered in snow, skunk cabbage flowers can be found.
How can they grow through the cold ground? Skunk cabbage flowers can heat up the air around them! The warmth they give off helps to melt the snow and ice. Scientists think that the warmth might also help insects to smell the flower.
The insects, of course, are the reason for the flower. Small insects that are active in the early spring smell the skunk cabbage. They spread the skunk cabbage's pollen from flower to flower.
While insects might like the scent of the skunk cabbage flower, people certainly don't. And that's how the plant got its stinky name! The leaves, which will poke up out of the ground in a month or so, also have a bad smell.
Even though skunk cabbage isn't the most beautiful, or the sweetest-smelling, it is a wonderful sign of spring.
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