For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Hi everyone and Happy Sunday to you! It is a mostly cloudy day with some light snow, though the sun did shine for a while earlier this afternoon. And it’s cold. Today’s high temperature is -4F (-20C), and it’s windy, making it feel more like -26F (-32C). That makes it a good day to enjoy the warmth of some bright wildflowers from summer.

Today it is the Fireweed.
Another odd name for a beautiful wildflower since everyone thinks that because it has the word “weed” attached to it, that means it is undesirable, which is certainly not true. It is so named because it is one of the first wildflowers to bloom after a forest fire has gone through an area. And they can be very prolific in such areas, similar to a weed.
They are big plants with bright flowers which attract numerous pollinator insects, like bees, flower flies and butterflies. This helps to bring insect eating birds which repopulate the area. The dead plants of Fireweed also help to fertilize the soil. Anyway, I hope you enjoy today’s photo. Have a great week everyone and God bless!
Steve. ©2026 Steve McLeod.