Fireweed © 2013 Patty Hankins
What is better than a single pink-purple wildflower? How about a big patch or even a field full of them?
One of the wonderful western wildflowers I’ve seen in several locations is Fireweed (Chamerion Angustifolium). I found this patch of fireweed at Yellowstone National Park a couple of years ago.
A summer blooming member of the Evening Primrose family, fireweed is native to Canada and a few western mountain states in the United States. Also known as willow herb or french willow, fireweed can grow to five feet tall with four-petaled pink-purple flowers.
I loved seeing fireweed along the sides of the roads and in the fields of the western parks. If you visit when the fireweed is blooming – be sure to stop and take a few minutes to enjoy this beautiful wildflower.
Fireweed is one of the wildflowers featured in my 2015 Wildflower Calendar. My calendar features photographs of twelve different wildflowers I’ve taken in recent years.