Water Gardening: Looking for true calla and skunk cabbage, 1 by

wrote:
Here are some photos from my sister's property. I did go out there this weekend and tromped around. I found one spot where the skunk cabbage is starting to come up and I was able to get some plants. How many are you looking for?
Digging these plants is an exerience, I can tell you! First, they are, of course, in swampy conditions, then the leaves start growing about a foot under the surface, and then the roots go down as far as they can. I believe I was incorrect about a taproot (which didn't make much sense to me, given their growing conditions), but what I see is that the plants are quite delicate and break easily. You have to stick your arm down into the muck as far as you can and gently tease the roots free, and then pull the plant out with gentle, steady pressure. I broke several and almost gave up, but then I got one so that spurred me on! It was some fun, I can tell you! LOL When I came out of the forest with my booty, my BIL just looked at me and said I looked like a bushwhacker! I'm not sure what that is, but I'll take his word for it!!

Anyway, here are some photos of the area I was in. In this one you can barely see the bright green of the new leaves of the skunk cabbage. There are many, many alder trees that grow here, and they are short lived and fall down easily. The area is covered with alder limbs, etc. The other thing you see is a kind of wild berry, the name of which escapes me. It has a tall stalk with small thorns (not really hurtful ones), and has a bright pink flower in the spring. They grow all through this area. Right now, the area gets plenty of sun, as all the trees around it are deciduous. I notice that this area which has a running stream all year round is the first area to get the skunk cabbage. The area I was hoping for is a bit dry right now, gets less light, and the cabbages are not up yet. But it's MUCH more accessible, so I hope I get to go back there when they are up.

I dug about 5 plants and they are all doing well. They haven't skipped a beat and are resting in my veggie filter.