Smelly Things

I wish these guys were here but I found them in a park next to my office.
It's the otherworldly Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus.
It actually generates its own heat to melt the surrounding snow.
The ice here was about an inch (2.5 cm) thick. (Looks a bit like the back side of a garden gnome, eh?)

The flowers and bruised leaves produce a skunky scent, hence the name. The odor attracts flies, bees, and other insects. Peek inside the spathe and you'll see the spadix (click the pic for a close-up), where the action takes place. The heat may help disperse the scent and probably makes the environment cozier for the pollinators.

They also come in yellow.

And black and white.
Ha, just kidding about that one. That's the Skunk that O photographed yesterday, ambling bankside.