In southeast Alaska we have LOTS of skunk cabbage; they get huge and really tall. Out at the University grounds they reach chest high and would keep everything but a hard rainstorm off you.

Question: How soon do they start 'smelling'? A few years ago I took a friend who was visiting Juneau 'out the road' (a 40 mile drive alongside the coastline. Juneau is very narrow but stretches out linearally). When I stopped the car and we started strolling around she stopped and sniffed and said, Oh, there's a skunk around here someplace.

I said, No, Juneau doesn't have skunks. What do you think it is?

We went over to some healthy thriving skunk cabbage and she said, Oh, here it is!