Most of the fireweed I noticed today are almost done blooming, which bloom from the bottom and last blossoms of the season are on top. The name fireweed stems from its ability to quickly colonize areas burned by fire. Lore has it that the end of summer isn’t official until the top fireweed buds bloom, and those at the bottom have died. And since it is close to the Labr Day weekend, another signal to the end summer, the fireweeds I saw fit right in with this timing of the end of summer (especially seeing some leaves turning color too).

Fireweed Nearing End

As summer fades into autumn, a few patches of fireweed still had some blossoms, which is good as some people believe when the last blooms open on the top of the stalks, summer is over and I’m not ready for winter yet. The blooms begin to open from the bottom and since the fruit matures quickly, the fruit, blossoms and buds can appear at the same time on the same plant.

Fireweed By River

This time of the year some bright pink color can been seen in road ditches and along beach. An important plant for honey producers, the native plant fireweed earned its name because this plant is the first colonizer in the soil after forest fires.

Bright Fireweed

The pretty pink color from the fireweed blossoms during the summer sure would brighten up a cloudy winter day. The flowers start blooming at the bottom and works it way up to the top of the stem.

Summertime Fireweed

This tall showy native wildflower can cover an entire area with brilliant pink flowers. I saw a few larger patches of fireweed on a recent road trip but they weren’t in a area that I could stop for a picture, but there were some scattered clumps of them by a beach. The name fireweed comes from its ability to quickly colonize areas burned by fire. The flowers bloom low and work their way up the stem and some don’t want to see the top of the plant in blossoms as it signals the end of summer and the coming of winter.

Fireweed in Summer