Do you recognize this flower? This is one of the first signs of spring in our area, appearing before the plant's leaves. The mottled purple "hood" is called the spathe and the stalk inside, studded with tiny yellow flowers is called the spadix. This plant is capable of generating its own heat - enough to melt the surrounding snow; the inside of the spathe can reach more than 20 degrees warmer than the surrounding air. You can find them now in the wet woodlands of Honey Hollow, it is of course the Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus Foetidus). Its common name comes from the smell that emanates from its damaged leaves, this plant is pollinated by flies that are attracted to the flower's smell and the heat that emanates from it. Common in most parts of eastern North America, it can be found in wetland areas from Nova Scotia and Quebec west to Minnesota and south to the northern border of South Carolina. It is endangered in Tennessee. The leaves emerge rolled up like a scroll later in March and can be as long as 2 feet. Later in the year, around mid September, you may find its egg-shaped fruit with its convoluted surface looking like an alien brain: 
Inside the periphery of this fruit are 10 - 14 globular shaped seeds that can fall into the mud or be carried off by animals to help spread the plant. Interestingly, skunk cabbage has contractile roots that pull the plant down into the soil after its growing period. This effectively makes the plant grow down instead of up and makes the oldest plants nearly impossible to dig up.
Photo Credits
Flower picture:
William C. Taylor @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA SCS. 1989. Midwest wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln.
Fruit picture: http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/
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