It's true, if you ask any naturalist what the first wildflower of spring really is in this region of Pennsylvania, they'll tell you it's skunk cabbage. Skunk cabbage does deserve its place in the sun, since it radiates heat in the late winter to melt the snow around it, helping it pop out of the ground well before anything else. The only problem with skunk cabbage? (Not that it stinks, but I guess that, too.) It doesn't scream "flower". Mostly, it screams "little curly purple and green thing".
However, all along the lane, more colorful wildflowers are starting to peek out of the leaf litter. In the morning, you'd never be able to tell; in late evening, Colt's Foot draws their shy petals back over their pretty faces, like a goose tucking its head under wing. Only when they feel the warmth of the sun nudging them awake do they explode into little round stars sitting atop a shaggy stalk that looks almost like the head of asparagus. Keep your eyes peeled for these tiny clustered wonders, and be careful not to step on them!
Photo by Emily
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