First Day Of Skunk Cabbage

Day 154: This is a day of great celebration! Not only is it the First Day of Skunk Cabbage, it was not necessary for me to wade out into the bog at risk of becoming permanently mired in order to get a picture of a perfect specimen. Many of my adventures on this personal holiday have left me mud up to the knees, my boots filled with swamp water, and on one notable occasion, I even fell down, landing on my back in the muck. I have not been savaged by mosquitoes as often as you might suppose, although in some years, they have been vicious. Nevertheless, this is a tradition I have been observing for decades, partly as a nod to my mother who chose Lysichiton americanus as her favourite flower, and partly because to me the plant signifies the beginning of Botany Season. There is no set date for the occasion, other than the fact that it usually occurs in March (rarely February), and is only determined by my own first observation for the year. I usually seek it out as I did today, visiting my "best bog" along the margin of Swofford Pond.