February 20 Skunk Cabbage Appearing

Again at the Arboretum this afternoon, I went out through Wingra Woods to find a rumored patch of skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) growing in a spring near the road. Several of these clumps of green shoots were growing up through the water, boldly meeting the single digit air temperatures of late. Is this plant suicidal? No. Turns out that skunk cabbage can grow during a frozen February through its thermogenesis ability: the plant heats itself up on average 36 degrees F above the air temperature by regularly converting stored starches plus carbon dioxide into energy, allowing it to push through frozen soil if need be. This keeps it above freezing the majority of the time. In a short time these three inch sprouts will grow to 20 inches and unfold to reveal the coming flowers in the center of the bunch. Stay tuned for the plant to take shape and later we'll tear a leaf open to get a whiff of the pungent odor referred to in this plant's common name. (**I previously had an incorrect photo for this day. This is skunk cabbage, shot on March 7, twice as big as it would have been on Feb 20**)