Alaska has a short summer. But the display of nature’s beauty is unmatched.
In constructing this page, I had to officially change the titles of some of the Alaskan Chronicles to designate “Southeast Alaska.” Alaska is a big place. And I mean really big. So for me to chronicle wildflowers, birds or animals of “Alaska” would be rather presumptuous. But I can safely declare that what is posted here reflects the abundance of wildflowers in Southeast Alaska.
Orange Hawkweed
Hieracium aurantiacum
Also known as Devil’s Paintbrush and locals have used the term “Indian Paintbrush.” But this is of the hawkweed group due to its flower shape. It is a beautiful invasive, usually found along roadsides growing in poor soil conditions. One attribute of an invasive is its tendency to predominate an area otherwise inhabited by native species. Orange hawkweed tends to follow this pattern. But …. like other invasives I know, they fulfill a role in nature, such as transforming rocky and sandy soil into a more hospitable condition for future species to flourish.
Compare to the Indian Paintbrush found in Missouri.
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is found almost everywhere there is water. I have a plentiful display of yarrow in the two prairies at my home in Missouri. However, this simple plant seems to have a rather complex history. Alaskan Wildflowers refers to the Alaskan variant as Achillea borealis, or Northern Yarrow. Plants of the Pacific Northwest refers to it as Achillea millefolium (same species in Missouri), “Also known as Achillea borealis.”
What is interesting about the two Alaskan sources on this plant is that neither of them consider it to be “invasive,” whereas the Missouri reference assigns that label. The Alaskan sources also reference the medicinal qualities of Yarrow tea. It is a minty plant.
In this photo is also an example of the Yellow-Fronted Bumble Bee, often referred to as the Alaskan Bumble Bee.
Resources
Field Guide to Alaskan Wildflowers, by Verna E. Pratt, AlaskaKrafts, Inc., 1989
Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Edited by Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon, Lone Pine Publishing, 2004