First Day of Skunk Cabbage

Happy First Day of Skunk Cabbage! It was yesterday, actually, and was only made possible by a friend inviting me to lunch with her at our favourite Chinese restaurant. I suggested stopping by the bog on the way home, a little out of the way, but a short walk. The Skunk Cabbage was not as dense or as far along as I'd hoped, but it was present, the first I've observed this year. A change in the wind brought the scent to us as we stood on the trail, not daring to go down into the bog where we could see standing water beneath the deceptive mat of old reed-canary grass. The bog is filling in with the invasive grass, as well as blackberry vines, a long and slow process to be sure, and not likely to overtake the swampy ground in my lifetime. For now, the Skunks are there to welcome Spring.