In Living Color: Those Stinkin' Flowers!!!

We were running a little early for our lunch date in Canada because there were only a couple of cars at the border!!! For a few years now I have wanted to check out this place off one of the back roads we travel. It seems like I am either flying this way or flying that way...so today, because we were running early, I thought today is the day I check this out. There was a lake and picnic area at the end of the road. We just did a quick drive through to check it out and as we were leaving my husband spotted some yellow flowers back in the woods. I backed the car up and got out with my camera in hand to see what it was. Bright yellow flowers growing right up out of the ground with hardly any stalk to them. I noticed the smell of a skunk but I just thought that maybe a skunk had passed through. I took lots of photos and then started walking along the parking lot looking for more good photos to take. I yelled over to my husband to bring the car. I found another small patch of the same flower and crunched through the thicket to get a closer look and photos. I again noticed the smell of a skunk but again thought that maybe a skunk had just been in the area. I stomped around in the meadow to take some more photos and when I was satisfied I got back into the car and started driving out of the parking lot when my husband pointed out a large field of the same yellow flowers. I backed the car up and parked so we could go check it out. I had to fight through the dried branches and clear some brush to get back to where the patch of flowers were. It was quite the sight. Later on I was sharing my photos and adventure with my daughter and she told me that she was pretty sure that the flowers were called Skunk Cabbage. Looking it up on-line confirmed that it was the Skunk Cabbage. How could anything so pretty Stink like a skunk?? Too bad my oldest daughter doesn't live closer otherwise I would have picked a stinky bouquet for her. When she was a teenager she belonged to a fan club that actually loved the smell of skunk!