Evidence of Spring
Outknow spring is around the corner when you see this native plant called skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus). Here is one found in its early rising last week at Rensselaer Land Trust’s Staalessen Preserve along the Wynantskill Creek in Troy. Its green leaves, that smell like skunk when crushed, come later.
The plant creates its own heat so the air inside this pictured spathe is considerably warmer than the air outside. Its roots and leaves have been used as medicines.