Skunk cabbage in bloom.
Photo: © Debbie Hadley, WILD Jersey

March brings many good things: college basketball tournaments, St. Patty's parades, and best of all, skunk cabbage. As soon as crocuses blossom under my crabapple tree, I lace up my hiking boots and head for a local bog in search of this early blooming wildflower.

Despite its reputation as a foul smelling plant that lives in the muck, skunk cabbage is an important wildflower for early spring insects. The blotchy appearance and strong scent of the skunk cabbage invites flying insects to visit. Tucked inside the leathery stalks, flies and bees find a cluster of tiny flowers, ripe with pollen for the taking.

Skunk cabbage generates an impressive amount of heat within the sheltered hood. A late season snowfall melts quickly around the emerging plants, which maintain a temperature near 70 degrees Fahrenheit inside. This warmth benefits foraging honeybees that may get caught away from the hive when temperatures drop. The bees take shelter inside the skunk cabbage until the outside air warms enough for them to fly again.