Fireweed is a very common roadside and trailside plant. It is often incorporated into Alaskan artwork. This plant frequently grows after a fire, giving it it's common name. It grows up to 3 feet tall. According to Native lore, when the last flowers on the top of the stalk finish blooming, autumn will be 2 weeks away. Fall begins in late August or early September in much of Alaska!
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Dwarf Fireweed is much smaller than its taller relative, about a foot tall. It is often found growing along river banks and on islands. One lovely scene I saw was a large group of these pink flowers interspersed with Yellow Monkeyflower on an island in a snowmelt-fed creek. Smoke from distant wildfires obscured our view in Denali for 3-1/2 of the 4 days that we were in the park.
