Here you see what I think is a dried stalk of dormant woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus), the bulrush that Native Americans reportedly weaved into mats and bags.
(The stalk in that image is hanging over snow-covered ice in a pond, which gives it a silhouette effect, even though the photo is in full color and not edited, except for cropping.)
Below, you’ll see self-heating eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) burning its way through snow-covered ice in a bog yesterday. Native Americans reportedly used this plant for treating coughs and headaches and even used a wash of its powdered roots for an underarm deodorant.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on February 17 and 20, 2024.)