SKUNK CABBAGE 



211 



brought from his wood-lot a load of muck for my 

 flower-bed. Some strange dragon -like creatures 

 lay upon the surface of the muck. With their 

 flat bodies, short stiff heads, and great clustered 

 roots, composed 

 of fleshy fibers, 

 they suggested I 

 know not what 

 monster of pre- 

 historic times. 



I willingly let 

 others sing the 

 praises of its col- 

 ors in early spring 

 the variety and 

 rare beauty of the 

 hood markings. 

 Others may cele- 

 brate in fairer 

 phrases the trop- 

 ical luxuriance of 

 its foliage, when, 

 amid the burst of 

 spring, this plant 

 waxeth mightily. 

 Many, too, have 



7 . "SKUNK CABBAGE IS A STURDY CITIZEN 



remarked how in 



summer the bright green of skunk cabbage gives 

 the only sign of lusty growth amid the desolation 

 of the swamp, as if it were appointed to express 

 the best that is to be gotten out of a dismal 

 environment. Let them note these phases of a 



