I love seeing the skunk cabbage break out of its
muddy home in the spring. They are truly bright yellow and
seem to glow in the shady forest. The leaves grow to quite
a large size by summertime, some reaching an easy 1m in
length. People DO go on about the smell of the skunk
cabbage but really, it is hardly worth the hysteria. Yes,
you CAN smell a musty odor in the air as you come across a
patch in bloom, but it is nothing to wring your hands over.
The smell attracts beetles and flies for pollination.