Uncle Skunk

Day 160: "Uncle Skunk" was the nickname given to Lysichitum americanus by native peoples who used the root as a food source. The Yellow Skunk Cabbage of the Pacific Northwest is one of the first flowering plants to emerge in the Spring, the showy spathes often breaking through snow before the leaves show green. Its unmistakable odor gives it its common name.

Uncle Skunk was my mother's favorite flower despite its strong scent. Its habit of appearing in swamplands associates it closely with frogs and tadpoles, both of which held places close to her heart. Each year, I begin watching for Uncle Skunk's emergence in early to mid-March, but almost without exception, some specimens can be found within a few days of equinox. It is then that memories of my mom run most strongly, as if in some way her spirit now resides contentedly with Uncle Skunk, watching new generations of frogs following on the heels of the old.