365 Urban Species. #215: Fireweed

[urbpan]

Photos by urbpan. Location: near 6th and Broad Street, Seattle.

Urban species #115: Fireweed epilobium angustifolium

The ecological state of a city is that it is always in the first stage of succession. Concrete and asphalt resist colonization by all but the most aggressive plants. Most of the areas that have some welcoming soil are constantly mowed, resetting the sequence of ecological succession, making the city a place for pioneer plants. On the west coast, one of the most successful native pioneer plants is fireweed. It is named for the fact that it is the most conspicuous plant to grow after a forest fire. It was one of the first plants to grow in the ashy devastation of Mount St. Helens. The roadsides of Alaska are lined with fireweed, swaths of magenta bordering any summer drive. Fireweed is attractive to bees, and honey collected from hives near fields of this plant is noted for its light color and delicate taste. The fireweed in these pictures grows in a neglected edge of soil between a parking lot and a construction site in Seattle.

Comments

[drocera.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on making the LJ showcase!! Watch that friends list expand exponentially now!

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

!!!!!!! YAY

[droserary.livejournal.com]

Fireweed is indeed everywhere out here. At least it's native, though. Hope you're enjoying your trip!

[psongster.livejournal.com]

It's funny you mention Mount St. Helens. I was there in July two years (three years?) after the volcano blew, and it was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. As far as the eye could see, gray tree trunks were laid out in geometric patterns. It was soon enough that the woody parts had not yet really begun to decay, so if you looked at any hillside from a distance it looked gray. Geometric and gray. But if you looked down, anywhere, the ground was a riot of color, carpeted with flowers in bloom. Quite a lesson in the persistence of life.

[error691.livejournal.com]

Oh em gee! LJ spotlight! Congrats!

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

can you press some of that and bring it home for me to see?

can I post this in your community?

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE IN SCARBOROUGH

There was garbage in the middle of the road and a crow had stopped to eat it
when she was stuck
by a car.
Her mate
swooped by her
pulling at her black wings
trying to revive her, cawing.
Soon the tree in my front yard was full of black, cawing crows.

Over and over a crow would fly over her
all of the rest of them cawing,
heads back as if gulping
some invisible rain,
while random cars made less of her each time they edged over the line.

Eventually
the traffic lessened and
there was nothing left of her
and the tree emptied of
crows.

I tryed to tell a neighbour about it but before I could she said, “I HATE crows!”

[jolantru.livejournal.com]

Hiyas, I have just added you, if you don't mind. Been reading your LJ for a long time. ;)

[corivax.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay! I was wondering if you were going to do our species, too! :)

[zenithblue.livejournal.com]

I grew up in Alaska and have since become an expatriate (well, a contiguous-forty-eight-states-expat anyway). I always miss the fields of Fireweed at the end of the summer. I was so happy to find this site, and find this picture. Thank you so much.

[pinkavenger.livejournal.com]

We alaskans make everything out of fireweed, and it tells us when winter is coming, it hadnt occured to me that it grew other places.