Desperately seeking…skunk cabbage

This morning, I hiked for three miles at a local forest preserve. I was hoping to find some skunk cabbage and maybe even a little peace of mind. I failed on both counts.

Skunk cabbage is a spring ephemeral that emerges in the late winter. This plant generates its own heat — up to 95 degrees Farenheit! It gets so hot that it bursts through the frozen ground and melts the surrounding snow.

Peace of mind is a nice feeling you get when you aren’t thinking of the health of your loved ones; household repairs; car loans; anything related to the current Administration; or whether or not you’re using a semicolon correctly.

;;;

Though I was unable to find skunk cabbage or peace of mind, I was given numerous reminders of how perfect and rhythmic and balanced and utterly attractive our planet is.

Case in point: these beautiful rosettes of turkey tail! Look at how each rosette is spiraling outward. Inspired!

Sometimes I wish my negative thoughts would spiral out of my mind rather than run in circles. They have been relentless lately but when I saw this fallen tree, it reminded me that it’s okay if I let the thoughts run around in my head. They are there for a reason so I told them, “Stick around all you want; I have room.”

When this fallen tree showed me its beautiful rings, I realized the negativity running laps around my psyche wasn’t necessarily negativity but actually data conditioning my mind so I can be ready for life’s challenges. That is what I choose to believe!

I also found these adorable scarlet elf cups. These tiny mushrooms are about the size of your smallest fingernail. Their bright shade of red is beautiful to behold but — stay with me — so are these dead oak leaves (below). Today I marveled at how perfectly scattered they are. A fine protective covering of all sorts of insects and wildlife. They are soft and springy to walk on and brown (all shades!) is my favorite color.

As I walked along Hall Creek, I felt thankful to have the woods to myself. It was a cold morning, lightly snowing. Though it still felt like winter, I saw a bluebird, a robin and a thrush. It was like they were telling me that everything good comes back. That we’re surrounded by goodness all the time.

Maybe I did find some peace of mind while I was out there.

I hope to get back out to the woods next week. I’d really like to find some skunk cabbage this year. If you live in the midwest and go for a hike this week, see if you can’t find your own skunk cabbage. They’re said to be spiritual liaisons between us and the underworld and when they emerge, it means they (and you) have just escaped something hellish! My fear is I won’t see skunk cabbage until 2028.

Thank you for reading! -Constance