Fireweed is the signature of summer here in Alaska, signalling both beginning and end of the best season. The blooms start to show up at the end of June and over the next two months creep slowly up the stalk. The fields are full of them; a gorgeous sight! By September the blooms are gone and most of it is starting to go to seed. This little one was left, though, and caught my attention.There is an old wive's tale that says that when the fireweed reaches the top of the stalk, there are six weeks left till the snows come. If we're counting, I think I'll pick this one to count from!
Of course, with the lovely summer we had this year, there's not much I can do about the other old wive's tale - that however high the fireweed grows, that's how deep the snow will be!
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