Some different spring flowers

I might be stretching things to call skunk cabbages a 'flower' but they do have a flower inside their spathe, and they are the very first green to appear in the spring, even before the snow drops.  It's taken me a long time to get a photo that really shows what the bottom of Vale looks like in the spring, but I think I've done it here.

All the world is grey and brown; even the bed the water covers is brown.  There are dry twigs, brush and leaves everywhere, subtle variations of grey and brown.  And rising up above it all are these lush, green plants.

The plants themselves are miracles.  They generate their own heat - they melt through icy soil and snow cover in March, to reach up into the sun.  All the leaves they will have this year are wrapped tightly into a bundle.  They'll gradually unwrap and spiral out to soak up the sun.  By then, the canopy will be in full bud, making this the strongest sun these plants will see.  Their roots actually pull the plant farther down into the mud; each year, they anchor ever more firmly.  And that flower, well I wouldn't advise picking it for a bouquet - it smells pretty bad.  Even though it hides inside the spathe, insects manage to pollinate it in April - before any other flowers are ready!

I find that amazing.

F Number	3.5
Lens ID	LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm F3.5-5.6
Focal Length	14.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28.0 mm)
Exposure Time	1/400
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	100
Exposure Compensation	0
Flash	Off, Did not fire