Not your typical wildflower
Let the microscapes begin!
Early Riser (skunk cabbage)
Not the most beautiful or delicate of wildflowers, but one of the first to appear. I went wandering in one of the many nature preserves in Andover, Massachusetts the other day and one section of the swamp was covered with skunk cabbage. I read that they can come up so early because they actually generate heat with their cellular respiration and can melt snow. Amazing. Oh and I just saw the photo on the wikipedia page – creepily similar to mine.
I found this one just off the wooden walkway and was struck by the excellent mossy foreground. I’d been scanning for a plant to photograph and none looked so well-situated. The big tree as background and the afternoon sun lighting up the flower itself were perfect to help this shot work. I debated whether to leave last year’s flower in or not, but since I’d already tidied up the scene by removing some distracting twigs, I left it.
I didn’t see the spider thread when I shot it, but I like it now I do. Ditto for those tiny sprouts near the main plant itself. Amazing what is revealed in these kinds of photos and one of the reasons I keep doing them. This one I basically handheld, but kept the lens hood on the moss itself to anchor the camera. My husband looked on bemusedly. He’s used to it.
Splendid shot!
April 11, 2011 at 8:25 am
Great detail and composition. What a strange cabbage, like something from the alien movies from the 50s.
April 11, 2011 at 9:06 am
a total stunner
April 11, 2011 at 4:10 pm
very nice. i like the spider thread too … looks like its pulling the bloom to the side.
kind of a creepy flower, isnt it?
k☼
April 12, 2011 at 6:46 am
thanks peeps. Yeah, skunk cabbage is a bit weird, the flower part most of all. Once the leaves fully develop, they look more normal and more cabbage-y. It doesn’t wrap into a tight ball, but the leaves are loose and pretty. I often see false hellibore right alongside.
April 12, 2011 at 7:42 am
I’ve love to see it when it grows up…cheers! ^_^
April 14, 2011 at 9:18 pm