Family: Araceae (includes plants such as calla lily, taro, elephants ear, and Philodendron)
Flower: Purple-brown to Green. The flowers themselves actually produce heat, a big draw for the flies that pollinate this plant. Flowers bloom from February - April.
Ecological importance:
- Shelter: as the flowers give off heat, Skunk cabbage provides shelter for numerous small species including:
- Earthworms
- Millipedes
- Slugs and Snails
- Salamanders and lizards
- Beetles
- Common yellow-throat
- Food: The leaves, which are responsible for the malodorous aroma the plant gives off, are not surprisingly, avoided as food-stuff by most animals (fungi and some invertebrates do consume them, though). The seeds, however, are edible, and are an important food source for organisms like:
- Wood duck
- Bobwhite
- Slugs and Snails
- Milipedes
- Honey bees
- Flies
- Earthworm
