Most plants are stuck at whatever temperature the air around them is. A few rebels can warm themselves up like tiny radiators. The eastern skunk cabbage of North America is the most famous example - it can burn stored starches inside its flower to generate heat, just like a mammal does.
This trick lets the skunk cabbage push up through frozen ground in late winter while everything around it is still snow-covered. The warm flower literally melts a little hole in the snow above it. Inside, the temperature can sit at a balmy 15-35°C even on freezing days.
There are two big perks. First, the heat helps spread the flower’s foul, skunky smell that attracts pollinator flies. Second, those flies love hanging out somewhere cosy when the rest of the world is icy. They get free heat, the flower gets pollinated. Everyone wins.
