Your Favorite Cabbage, This is Not

What’s better than a walk through the woods? How about a walk up the stream? I personally love going on walks up or next to streams because of all the neat things that you can find. Not that you can’t find anything in dry woodland, but there’s a different quality to streams and wetlands, something that I find very attractive. I’m not sure how to put it into words, but I’m sure that, at some point in your life, you have (carefully) gone up a stream and found fish, or salamanders, or even just a neat rock. There’s something magical about it, especially when you’re young. There is one thing less than magical about streams and wetlands, though. That’s when you come home and realize that that nasty smell is coming from your sneakers. And it won’t. Come. Out. Remember that big, green, leafy plant you accidentally stepped on back by the stream? It’s called a Skunk Cabbage. For good reason.

 (This picture was found at http://urbanecologycenter.org/blog/native-plant-eastern-skunk-cabbage.html )

Skunk Cabbage grows near wet, marshy areas like streams, slow-moving rivers, humid woodlands, and, well, marshes. The foul-smelling odor that it releases is to attract bugs such as flies and carrion beetles so that the plant can be pollinated. That smell is very easily carried by the humid air, but it increases tenfold when the plant is damaged, like when you stepped on it. Another element that helps the scent of these lovely plants travel is the fact that they produce their own heat! This allows them to be one of the first flowering plants to bloom each year.

(This picture is curtesy of http://carolynsshadegardens.com/tag/skunk-cabbage/ )

The heat produced by the buds allows them to bloom even when the ground is still frozen. They warm up to about seventy degrees Fahrenheit and melt through all of the snow around them. Once pollinated, the flower heads produce small berries that contain the seeds for next year’s growth, which will grow on the marshy ground that was fertilized by the decomposing plants of the previous year. It’s a fairly ingenious survival method, actually. The plants reek, so most animals avoid them, and the animals that choose to try and eat the Cabbage will get a mouth full of fire (the plants cause a burning sensation when eaten) which only bears are immune to, and even then, only the buds are edible. The actual plant is mostly made up of water, so it is able to decompose very quickly and does not hinder the following year’s growth. Since they are also the first blooming plants, they are able to be pollinated during the first spring thaw, which gives them a head start on the rest of the plants here in Ohio. In fact, if you are willing to brave this cold and go on a little hike, you might just find some Cabbage blooms right now. Heavens knows we Ohio natives are nothing if not stubborn when it comes to the cold, and in this instance, so are the plants we are looking for.

(You can check out this picture at http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/skunk-cabbage)

 Information citation: http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/plants/skunk-cabbage.aspx

Whew! I think it’s a little chilly out, don’t you? If you decide to brave this cold and go find some flowers, shoot me an email (gncintern@gmail.com) of a picture and I’ll post it on here! Thank you for reading! Your support is awe inspiring and I’m glad to have it. Stay toasty! 
-Connie