Osprey and eagles nest and blue heron roosts are found in cottonwoods. Birds eat buds and mountain beavers eat leaves and bark. Native Americans ate the inner bark for the sweet taste. Cottonwood buds reduce infection. This skunk-like smell attracts insects to pollinate the plant.
Skunk cabbage is shaped likea leafy cabbage head.
It grow low to the ground and can be up to two feet high. The flowers bloom in very early spring. Snow melts around the warm blossom when the food stored in its roots creates heat. Western Red Cedar Traveling through the forested wetland, we recognize Western Red Cedar by its bright red bark which peels in long strips. A natural fungicide in the cedar heartwood stops decaying.