BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Alaska Alaskan Fireweed flowers blooming!

And ... as my newly (temporarily) switched out "Avatar" shows, the Fireweed is indeep going to seed or "going to cotton" as locals like to call it. I've added a new photo to my article on Fireweed on the Alaska Site page so everyone can see the process more clearly.

My little hillside of Fireweed is suddenly as much white as it is pink! I guess I'll be grateful it isn't snow ... YET!

Here's another little tidbit about fireweed. This is an old indian trick that was actually told to me by an old indian. If you break the fireweed's stalk and milk out the sap you can dab it on mosquito bites. Don't rub it, just dab a little on and within a few seconds the itching will stop and a minute or three later the swelling as well. It's especially effective on children and it's hard to beat the look of awe when you fix their bites. <VBG> Unfortunately mosquito bites are the only bites it works on as far as I know and I've tried it on every kind of bite I've gotten here. Frosty

Wow - good thing to know in Alaska!