First Wildflowers

On a boggy knoll near Milanville each of these Skunk Cabbage plants began producing flowers in mid-March. 

The purple hoods are modified leaves that make cavities for petal-less flowers -  visible on the left as four bright “dots.”  Skunk Cabbage also burns extra oxygen to heat this space, to make it attractive to early insects. And creates carrion-like aromas to entice fly pollinators.