Producers/Hosts: Hazel Stark and Joe Horn
Skunk Cabbage
Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at mainelyphenology.wordpress.com
Differences between cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals seem pretty clear: there are those rely on their surroundings to keep them warm enough whereas there are those, like ourselves, that are able to create their own heat through metabolic processes. But what about the living things that aren’t animals? Do they, can they, will they create their own heat? In the case of skunk cabbages, the answer is yes. Not only do they flower early, but also they are so eager to bloom that the tip of their curled shoot can be found melting its way through the last of our slushy hard-packed snow.