Skunk Cabbage Flowers Hide in the Woodlands

Skunk Cabbage flowers are not your typical Spring blossoms. Anyone who wasn’t educated about the structure of this strange plant would be hard pressed to recognize the flowers as such, or to find them in the first place. The flowers grow in colonial fashion on a sphere inside a protective hood. One can see these protective structures on a walk through the woods or wetlands, but the flowers are so small that they’re not easily seen unless you get down on their level.

The protective hoods are well camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings. The colorful skunk cabbage hoods are yellow to light green and streaked with slashes and spots of maroon and brown. Most hoods are variegated while a few are mostly one color. It’s surprising how well these bright colors blend into the leaves on the forest floor. Unless you know what you’re looking for they can easily be missed.

Maroon-streaked yellow hood of skunk cabbage.
Maroon-streaked yellow hood of skunk cabbage.
Yellow hood of skunk cabbage with maroon blotches.
Yellow hood of skunk cabbage with maroon blotches.
Yellow-green and maroon hood of skunk cabbage.
Yellow-green and maroon hood of skunk cabbage.
Purple or maroon hoods of skunk cabbage.
Purple or maroon hoods of skunk cabbage.
Camouflaged hoods of skunk cabbage at the creek.
Camouflaged hoods of five skunk cabbage plants at the creek.

Flowers may be present for up to a few weeks before the leaves emerge from the wet ground like “rolled-up cigars”. As the leaves grow in size quickly they begin to uncurl and become these mammoth cabbage-like leaves, hence the name “skunk cabbage”.

Flowers inside the hood.
Flowers inside the hood.
Purple sphere with flowers inside hood.
Purple sphere with flowers inside hood.
Yellow sphere with flowers inside hood.
Yellow sphere with flowers inside hood.

As I was stooping down to take these pictures it did smell like a skunk had recently passed that way. Of course it was the scent of the flowers that I was detecting. Their skunky smell beckons the flies that pollinate them. A few were buzzing around the area when I stopped by.

If you haven’t seen skunk cabbage before, now is a good time to look for it. The flowers are all but gone and dwarfed by the enormous leaves, but that makes it easier to spot these plants from afar.

Skunk cabbage leaves appearing at the creek.
Skunk cabbage leaves appearing at the creek.
The leaves and colorful hood of skunk cabbage.
The leaves and colorful hood of skunk cabbage.

Look for skunk cabbage near water sources and in bottom lands. Skunk cabbage leaves grow out while the deciduous trees are still bare. The hooded flowers hide among leaves really well and they won’t be seen from a distance, so it’s much easier to find a patch of skunk cabbage once the leaves have appeared. The plants photographed here were growing next to or in a small stream or creek in the mountains in Central Pennsylvania.

After you’ve found a colony of these perennial plants, make a mental note of the location so you’ll be able to return there next year in early Spring to see the flowers.

Golden Ragwort Blooming at the Creek’s Edge

Golden Ragwort, Senecio aureus, is a small aster-like wildflower in the daisy family. Ragworts bloom earlier in the year than other yellow-flowered daisies, so you won’t get it mixed up with other yellow flowers.

Golden ragwort is differentiated from other members of the genus Senecio by its leaves.

Heart-shaped basal leaves of golden ragwort.
Heart-shaped basal leaves of golden ragwort.

Colony of golden ragwort growing in gravel next to a small creek. Note the heart-shaped basal leaves.

Golden ragwort leaves and stalks.
Golden ragwort leaves and stalks.

The outside of the flower heads are a deep purple color as are the stems.

Golden ragwort flower stalks rise over a foot tall.
Golden ragwort flower stalks rise over a foot tall.

Flower stalks rise up and hold the flower heads some 12 to 20 inches above the leaves and even higher when the flowers are in bloom. My walking stick is marked off in inch increments. The top black section measures 20 inches from the ground. (Photo directly above and the remaining photos were taken 30 April 2010. The first two photos were taken 18 April 2010.)

Rounded basal leaves of golden ragwort.
Rounded basal leaves of golden ragwort.

Leaves at the bottom of the stems are rounded or heart-shaped with rounded teeth.

Toothed upper leaves of golden ragwort are narrow and divided.
Toothed upper leaves of golden ragwort are narrow and divided.

Leaves higher up the stems are cut or dissected and they get more narrow, but they retain the rounded teeth. Leaves right below the flower heads are very narrow and more finely cut.

Golden ragwort flower head.
Golden ragwort flower head.

Note the purple outsides of the flower heads before the golden ragwort blooms.

Golden ragwort blooming.
Golden ragwort blooming.

Half of the golden ragwort flowers are open.

Looking down on the golden ragwort flowers.
Looking down on the golden ragwort flowers.

Golden yellow rays are sparsely situated around the center disc flowers in this composite flower.

Another golden ragwort plant blooming by the creek.
Another golden ragwort plant blooming by the creek.

Habitat for golden ragwort includes wetland areas, like that found next to this creek. The Peterson Wildflower Guide states that swamps and wet meadows are other likely places to find Golden Ragwort.

Miterwort Bishop’s Cap Blooming Near the Creek in the Woods

Miterwort is a wildflower that I’d heard of or read about, but hadn’t seen in real life until this Spring. Also called Bishop’s Cap, Mitella diphylla, miterwort can be found in lowlands and habitats near water.

The leaf structure and flowers are unique enough that miterwort should be immediately recognized.

Miterwort has two types of leaves, basal and stem. Basal leaves are broader than the pair of stem leaves that sit about halfway up the flower stalk. Both types of leaves are notched and might remind one of a maple leaf. The stem leaves, which do not have stems of their own, but rather appear attached to each other at their bases, are a distinguishing feature.

Miterwort flower spike, basal leaves and conjoined stem leaves.
Miterwort flower spike, basal leaves and conjoined stem leaves.

The image above shows a couple larger basal leaves and stem leaves that are joined at their bases where they meet the flower stems.

Stem leaves of miterwort are paired and joined at the base.
Stem leaves of miterwort are paired and joined at the base.

The tiny, cream-colored flowers sit above the leaves on a flower stem that may reach 12 inches tall.

Miterwort flowers creekside.
Miterwort flowers creekside.
Big tree made a nice background for these miterwort.
Big tree made a nice background for these miterwort.

Cohorts include the common blue violet, wild ginger, Solomon’s seal (not yet in bloom), trout lily (done blooming), ferns.

Flowers of miterwort are small, but beautifully fringed giving the appearance of a snowflake. Some say the appearance is like that of a miter, or Bishop’s Cap, thus the common name. A plant that I think resembles a miter much better is this desert cactus.

Tiny, snowflake-like flowers of miterwort.
Tiny, snowflake-like flowers of miterwort.

Snowflakes seen in close-up view of miterwort flowers. (Last photo taken 30Apr2010, all others taken 18Apr2010.)