Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium)
Fireweed has beautiful flowers that attract a variety of native bees (illinoiswildflowers.info). It is also the host plant to 14 species of butterflies and moths (Johnson and Colla, 2023). It is important to choose the right place for this beauty because it has a fibrous and rhizomatous root system, so it could overwhelm a small garden, however, it does not tolerate competition, so you can’t just stick it out in the field unless you plan on managing it, preferably with fire. It is, however, a really cool plant that you don’t come across very often.
Photo credit: Tero Karppinen
Fireweed has beautiful flowers that attract a variety of native bees (illinoiswildflowers.info). It is also the host plant to 14 species of butterflies and moths (Johnson and Colla, 2023). It is important to choose the right place for this beauty because it has a fibrous and rhizomatous root system, so it could overwhelm a small garden, however, it does not tolerate competition, so you can’t just stick it out in the field unless you plan on managing it, preferably with fire. It is, however, a really cool plant that you don’t come across very often.
Photo credit: Tero Karppinen
Fireweed has beautiful flowers that attract a variety of native bees (illinoiswildflowers.info). It is also the host plant to 14 species of butterflies and moths (Johnson and Colla, 2023). It is important to choose the right place for this beauty because it has a fibrous and rhizomatous root system, so it could overwhelm a small garden, however, it does not tolerate competition, so you can’t just stick it out in the field unless you plan on managing it, preferably with fire. It is, however, a really cool plant that you don’t come across very often.
Photo credit: Tero Karppinen
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial shade (best in full sun)
Soil Moisture: Medium-wet, Medium, Medium-dry
Height: 3-5 feet
Plant Spacing: 1-2 feet
Bloom Time: July-Aug
Bloom Color: Pink
Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant, Recommended but vigorous
Host Plant: 14 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant (Johnson and Colla, 2023)
Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023
