Fireweed sightings are surging across the country right now
iNaturalist Community
Phenology
If you've hiked a burned-over hillside or a recent clear-cut this summer, that tall spike of pink-purple flowers taking over the open ground is fireweed, one of the first plants to recolonize disturbed land.
Fireweed is a tall wildflower with pink-purple blooms that shows up fast after fires, logging, or other ground disturbance, which is how it got its name. Right now people across the country are photographing and logging it in huge numbers on iNaturalist, meaning late July is peak bloom season and a great time to spot it yourself. Its nectar is also a favorite of bees and hummingbirds, so a patch of fireweed is usually buzzing with pollinator activity.
Key Findings
531 research-grade observations logged this week, ranking fireweed among the most-observed plant species on iNaturalist
Fireweed is a pioneer species that colonizes recently disturbed or burned ground
Its peak bloom timing in late July aligns with the surge in citizen-science sightings
chevron_right Technical Summary
Fireweed is popping up all over right now, with 531 verified sightings logged on iNaturalist this week alone, making it one of the most-spotted wildflowers in North America this season.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) — 531 observations this week
fireweed is among the most observed plant species this week with 531 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Chamaenerion angustifolium is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family, Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed and in the British Isles as both fireweed and rosebay willowherb. It is also known by the taxonomic synonyms Chamerion angustifolium and Epilobium an...