Let the microscapes begin!
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!
Great detail and composition. What a strange cabbage, like something from the alien movies from the 50s.
a total stunner
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☼
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.
I’ve love to see it when it grows up…cheers! ^_^