[Under the Rose]

Fireweed is the territorial flower of the Yukon.

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Epilobium angustifolium, commonly known as Fireweed (mainly in North America), Great Willow-herb (Canada),^[1] or Rosebay Willowherb (mainly in Britain), is a perennial herbaceous plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. It is native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, including large parts of the boreal forests.

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The name Fireweed derives from the species' abundance as a coloniser on burnt sites after forest fires. Its tendency to quickly colonize open areas with little competition, such as sites of forest fires and forest clearings, makes it a clear example of a pioneer species. Plants grow and flower as long as there is open space and plenty of light, as trees and brush grow larger the plants die out, but the seeds remain viable in the soil seed bank for many years, when a new fire or other disturbance occurs that opens up the ground to light again the seeds germinate. Some areas with heavy seed counts in the soil, after burning, can be covered with pure dense stands of this species and when in flower the landscape is turned into fields of color.

http://en.wikipedia....m_angustifolium

Many people are familiar with the brilliant purple/pink spires of Fireweed in bloom, and when they go to seed, the fluffy white seeds are a startling contrast to the brilliant leaves and the fiery bloom. Fireweed is one of the earliest greens after the snow has receded and I pick a few of the tiny emerging fronds and add them to our salads when first they appear. They grow astonishingly fast and once they are more than 6 inches tall, it is better to boil them and serve them with a bit of seasoning for they soon turn bitter. I have a neighbor who is quite famous for her Fireweed Flower Jelly and other wild preserves.

The picture below was taken in September of 2009 and the horse is Chellum, whom I delivered to her new home in Tagish that day to become the partner of one of my young riding students.

[Turtle]

i rescued this from a ditch 2 seasons ago, but it didn't bloom last year and i didn't know if it would make it or what it was for sure. it made it, i now know for sure.

plumed solomon's seal @ burke herbarium

plumed solomon's seal -Maianthemum racemosum (aka feathery false lily-of-the-valley, plumed spikenard)
may 13, 2012
garden bed
clark county washington - native

blooms:


whole plant:

[Under the Rose]

It is a late, cool spring this year in the Yukon. Crocus did not appear until May 10th in our yard, while other years they have been out in profusion prior to the end of April. Last night the temperature dipped to -3C and when I fed the horses this morning, it was still only +2C and the poor crocuses were still shut tight against the cold, so no photo op. The following pictures are from a few years ago. The crocus blooms in clusters along the fences of the horse paddocks and the horses do not eat them.

This may be why....

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pasqueflower
The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright pasqueflower , name for two similar perennials of the family Ranunculaceae ( buttercup family). The Old World pasqueflower ( Anemone pulsatilla ) was so named because it blossoms around the Eastertime. The American pasqueflower ( A. patens ), named for its resemblance to the European species, is a bluish, open bell-shaped wildflower of the prairie regions of North America. As a herald of spring and a symbol of old age (from the silvery heads of feathery seeds), the plant has been made the subject of Plains Indian song and legend. It is the floral emblem of South Dakota. Patches of the flowers on their short, furry stems give an appearance of haze; for this reason the plant in the Great Plains region is called prairie smoke. Other names for the American variety are gosling flower, sandflower, windflower, wild crocus, and anemone. It contains a poison and is an irritant when fresh; the crushed leaves were applied by Native Americans as a counterirritant in cases of rheumatism and neuralgia. The pasqueflowers were formerly considered a separate genus ( Pulsatilla ) from the related true anemones. Pasqueflowers are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Ranunculales, family Ranunculaceae.

A closer picture of crocuses or croci, depending on your preference.

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Pulsatilla patens is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China, Canada and the United States. Common names include Eastern pasqueflower, prairie smoke, prairie crocus, and cutleaf anemone.

Pulsatilla patens is the provincial flower of Manitoba, Canada^[4] and (as P. hirsutissima) is the state flower of South Dakota, United States.

http://en.wikipedia....lsatilla_patens