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), including the threatened Yellow-banded day-sphinx (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). 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), including the threatened Yellow-banded day-sphinx (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). 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), including the threatened Yellow-banded day-sphinx (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). 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)
Beneficial for Endangered or Threatened Species: Yellow-banded day-sphinx (Proserpinus flavofasciata) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)
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
