April is doing a good job showering away March’s discarded snow and watering the eastern skunk cabbages. This spring’s crop of those beauties with bad breath may be one of our best. Their curly spathes (flower-protecting modified leaves) are especially varied in color this year.
The color variations in the spathes apparently are caused by natural, inherent genetic diversity and environmental adaptation. These variations, often resulting in marbling or solid colors, serve to camouflage the plant against early spring leaf litter.
The spathes usually last only a few weeks before the plants’ large and lush green leaves fully emerge and grab as much light as they can. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on April 2, 2026.)