Spotting Jack

On my morning walk I spotted this dandy:

It's funny how once you focus on a certain species, you suddenly see it easily, where you didn't see it before.  John and I have noticed this happens with gathering mushrooms too.  I took a good look at the leaves and then...

noticed Jack-in-the-Pulpits all around me.  Because of this, I got to see how the flower develops at many stages.  Here's what one looks like before they get their stripes.

 I read that Native Americans would gather and eat the corms of the plant to eat, but it has to be cooked or it causes a burning reaction.   Also, the spadix (the "Jack" in the pulpit) has tiny male and female flowers at its base.  I plan to dig one up to see the corm for myself and peel back the spathe to see the tiny flowers.  

This flower is so exotic looking.  It would seem out of place in the Maine woods were it not for its subdued hues.  It's shape strikes me as dramatic, like a woman with a fur stole flung over one shoulder.  

On my way out of the woods, I noticed many patches of Poison Ivy.  What a grand imitator that plant is!  On the top, Jack-in-the-Pulpit. On bottom, Poison Ivy.  Here's a fun and helpful quiz:   Is This Poison Ivy or Not?  

If you can train your eyes to see a specific plant that went unnoticed before, what else can we be trained to see?