Down In The Swamp

Day 181: The South Swofford Wetland Trail is a muddy, sloggy, soppy mile and a half regardless of the season, but is well worth the trek. Ospreys and eagles often fly overhead as wrens and warblers dart among covering brush, deer and elk are numerous, and wildflowers of many species can be found by an attentive eye. Lichens and mosses abound amid old cedars and maples, alders and evergreens, and the path offers many views of Swofford Pond and the waterfowl which populate it.

One of my favorite times of year to walk the South Swofford Trail is in the spring when the Skunk Cabbage (Lysichitum americanum) is in full flower. The plant grows in swamplands such as the one shown here. The leaves follow the flowers in this western species, and at full growth may measure four feet long and two wide. The common name derives from the odor of the plant which, although vaguely reminiscent of its namesake, is not altogether unpleasant.