Quiet in the Timber

For a few precious minutes today I roamed a timber in search of spring wildflowers. My outing was successful for very early bloomers, but still missing from my search were hepaticas, spring beauties, and anemones. It is still early, so I will be patient.

Blooming in all of its subdued glory were an assortment of skunk cabbage plants. Since the plants are pushing their way up through last year’s leaf litter and tend to be hard to see, I had to be very careful not to step on any. I recorded a few images and then moved on through the timber were I saw bluebirds, a brown creeper, and pileated woodpeckers.

Note: Skunk cabbage, like all wild plants, require very unique conditions to thrive. Soil acidity (or lack of) and moisture content affect these plants. Skunk cabbage must be respected and protected where they are.