Skunk Cabbage - Symplocarpus foetidus

Mottled purple, foul-smelling flowers of skunk cabbage plants. The putrid smell, which is similar to rotting flesh, attracts the flower's pollinators.

Habitat: Growing in an old streambed

Notes: An interesting feature of skunk cabbage is its ability to create warmth. Skunk cabbages are one of the few plants that exhibit thermogenesis (they can raise their own temperature). This allows skunk cabbage plants to melt their way above the frozen ground and through the snow in early spring.