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Flora: Skunk Cabbage Skunk Cabbage Symplocarpus foetidus One of the very earliest spring wildflowers, often emerging through snow. In the midwest, this flower can often be found blooming in early February. The odor is not pleasant and has been likened to decaying flesh - a characteristic which probably helps it attract insects to pollinate the flowers. As spring progresses skunk cabbage plants may grow quite large - as much as 3 feet across. They are usually found in wet areas, near streams, ponds, and wetlands. The species occurs throughout the midwest and northeastern U.S., extending into the mid-south. Member of the Arum family, along with the Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Photographed in central Indiana.