The Mountains are Blushing - The Fireweed is Blooming

If you’re hiking in the mountains right now, keep an eye out for one of my favorite late-summer wildflowers: fireweed.

With its tall stems and brilliant pink-magenta blooms, fireweed seems to appear just when summer is beginning to wind down. It thrives in open mountain meadows, along trails and streams, and right now, it’s putting on quite a show around Southwest Colorado.

I love fireweed for its color (that bright magenta mixed with subtle pink!), but I think I love what it represents even more. Summer wildflowers are nearing their end, the days are getting a little shorter, and before long, the aspens will begin turning gold. (yippee!)

Of course, I can't see a beautiful patch of wildflowers without thinking about painting it. Fireweed has made its way into several of my paintings, where I get to play with that incredible contrast between those vibrant pink blooms and the greens, blues, and earthy colors of the mountain landscape.

There’s something special about capturing a flower that only exists for such a short time. A photograph preserves what it looked like—but a painting lets me hold onto the feeling of being there.

So if you’re out hiking this August, look for the fireweed. Stop for a minute. Take a photograph. Enjoy it while it’s here.

And if you happen to fall in love with it, I have a few fireweed-inspired paintings that can bring a little bit of late-summer mountain color into your home long after the flowers have disappeared.