Fireweed

Let's talk quickly about Fireweed. Personally, I have taken a fond liking to this plant. Girls are "designed" naturally like flowers, and my fav as an adult has been a mini-calla lily...that was until I gained respect for Alaska's Wildflowers.

Alaska wildflowers are just amazing! Flowers litter the roadside from May through September...in all colors and all sizes. I would have NEVER thought that a dandelion could be beautiful; in California they are considered a weed and picked before they bloom...but, here in Alaska, they cover the hills in the early Spring and their yellow flower is just beautiful. I wouldn't dare ever pluck one again.

But, most of my respect for flowers goes to the fireweed. The fireweed flower can be found all over Alaska. They are notorious for thriving in areas that have been burnt by wildfires, which is where they get their name. But, perhaps the most interesting thing, to me, is that they predict the coming winter season.

It has been said, that as the fireweed's flowers die off, winter is near. Along the roadside from our house to my work there are hundreds of wild fireweed plants growing. I have watched them over the months develop...grow amazing flowers...and, now, dwindle away. I know that as the plants lose their flowers winter is right around the corner.

The days are growing shorter and we are on a normal daylight rotation. The weather has changed and our sunny summer days are gone. I don't fear the winter, in fact winter is beautiful in Alaska...but, being able to watch the fireweed like a clock telling time, it has brought an awareness to me of the season's changing and I am sad that this summer was so short. We will soon have many months ahead of us consumed with shoveling snow, sprinkling salt, rainy days & nights, and warm jackets. As the fireweed disappear I can feel an instinctual urge to gather food and prepare shelter for the winter - it's a weird feeling of anxiety that I have never felt before.

I guess the point of my little rant is that flowers here in Alaska serve a much more important purpose than just being "pretty" - they provide a "sign" that winter is upon us.