Skunk Cabbage Up Again

Gallery: FloraPosted April 11, 201090 views10 comments

Last time I was out (over a week ago)I found only a couple of forest flowers in bloom, and this is one of them. Skunk cabbage flowers actually push up through the snow, so I knew they would be here. I was a bit late to catch the best of the flowers inside these skunk cabbage hoods but I was happy to see the leaves starting to come up too, saying spring is here.

Canon 50D
Sigma 150 Macro;
5 sec. @ f/16; ISO 100; (in the shade following light rain)
Tripod; mirror up; release

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by John&Patty Benway on April 11, 2010 at 5:34 PM

Very nice indeed Wayne, beautiful color and detail, and the water drops are a big plus. I'll be back up on Friday, glad to see everything is coming along up on the Mountain. Take care.
John & Patty

Registered on May 12, 2006, 626 Posts, 8700 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce King on April 11, 2010 at 6:10 PM

That's some nice skunk Wayne. I don't think I've seen any with purple mottling before. Very cool. The rain drops are a nice touch and the brown leaves frame it well. Very nice composition and the detail is exceptional.

Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments

Comment posted by Carol Hyman on April 11, 2010 at 6:27 PM

Wayne, this is tack sharp and just plain gorgeous. Not only are the water drops a plus, so is the fine spider web. Nice job.

Regards,

Carol

Registered on January 18, 2007, 597 Posts, 8062 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on April 11, 2010 at 6:57 PM

JOHN & PATTY -- Should be lots of flowers Friday, especially in those nice green areas you found.
BRUCE -- The spathe of skunk cabbage we have in the east (Symplocarpus foetidus) often looks completely red or purple, but up close you can see the green mottling. This specimen has more green than many, but not really unusual). Unlike your western yelllow species, the spadix (flower) is almost completely hidden inside the spathe. I wonder if the colorful spathe kind of compenstates for they ugly little blob of a spadix, which does not even have petals.
CAROL -- Glad you like the spider web. Some people have urged me to get rid of them in flower shots, but I like it here, too.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on April 11, 2010 at 7:27 PM

Wayne: Do you wander around the forest on your knees to find all this wonderful stuff?

I love these kind of shots and you are the master. Superb shot.>=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Younger on April 11, 2010 at 7:51 PM

I really like the spider silk and veining in the leaf. These can be very striking clustered along the edges of a stream. Not only do they push up through the snow, they can generate their own heat. They can actually melt the snow. I think the brightness of the fallen leaves in the background is a bit distracting, but it's still a nice shot showing the plant under natural conditions in its environment.

Registered on January 15, 2010, 151 Posts, 269 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lowe on April 11, 2010 at 8:19 PM

This is cool, Wayne. Great subject matter. You do seem to like getting down there in the dirt. But it sure is worth it.

Registered on February 11, 2004, 777 Posts, 5252 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on April 11, 2010 at 8:43 PM

Cool shot Wayne. Love everything about this image.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on April 12, 2010 at 9:51 AM

Another well crafted environmental portrait. Very well done.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on April 13, 2010 at 11:43 AM

Very interesting. This image takes you to the place where you can almost feel the dampness and smell the smells. Very well done.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments