Flowers Galore:

In Alaska flora and fauna are prolific! Alaska summers are short, but days of 24-hour sun produce flowers and gigantic root vegetables in abundance. Vegetables grow larger in Alaskan summers than anywhere else in the USA.

Alaska Wildflowers:

Fireweed: the Native American Calendar

Above all, the most prolific Alaska wildflower is fireweed. As I’ve witnessed again and again, it grows throughout the entire state. In a word, fireweed is ubiquitous in an Alaskan summer. Even though fireweed is a hot pink it does not get its name from its color. Since it is the first weed to spring to life after a forest fire, it is called “fireweed.”

Fireweed grows in large patches on tall stalks. In early spring it begins to bloom from the bottom upward. As summer progresses, more and more blooms open until the entire stalk is ablaze. When Alaska’s brief fall approaches, the brilliant fireweed turns to seed and becomes white and quite ugly. Winter is near!

Alaska State Flower and Alaska Cotton:

Less is more is certainly true with Alaska’s state flower, the tiny forget-me-not. This small blue flower with its bright yellow center reflects the blue of the sky and the gold of the Gold Rush. Several varieties of cotton grass also grow in Alaska. And. it is affectionately called “Alaska cotton.” Because of its medicinal value, Native Alaskans often eat the boiled roots and use an extract from the leaves to treat stomach problems.

Daisies and Rhododendron:

It’s beyond belief that there are over forty different types of daises; are in Alaska. Rhododendrons of various colors is everywhere, especially in spring and summer.

An Endless Array of Wildflowers:

Bears and Skunk Cabbage:

After gorging themselves all summer on berries and salmon, the bears’ last meal before hibernation is a combination of twigs and mud. This creates a “bear plug” enabling the bear to sleep continuously for several months. When a bear awakens in the spring, he/she has a bear sized belly ache. Enter Skunk Cabbage.

Skunk cabbage, for instance, is one of the very first spring plants. It’s often seen pushing up through melting snow and mud. Even though its leaves look like cabbage leaves, it isn’t cabbage, but it smells like a skunk. Hence, the name! Skunk cabbage roots are a natural laxative and bears instinctively know this. When they awaken in the spring, the first things bears do is root around for skunk cabbage and devour the roots. It works, but I wouldn’t suggest it for humans!

Another extremely prevalent plant in Alaska Flora and Fauna is Devil’s Club. Consequently, forest floors are matted with them! Devil’s club’s broad leaves AND their stems are covered with countless noxious thorns; consequently, they are a challenge on any Alaska hike. Buds appear in early spring and by late summer they are bright red.

For years Alaska natives used the bark of the root and the stem for medicine. This medicine is used for arthritis, wounds, tuberculosis, stomach trouble, and a variety of other ailments. Interestingly, however, it is common to get a rash from touching Devil’s club. But, oddly enough, native Alaskans developed a salve that cures the very same rash.

Alaska’s Gigantic Vegetables

In S. Central Alaska as well as in the interior near Fairbanks, 24-hour summer days create vegetables beyond imagination in size. Visiting the State Fair in the Matanuska Valley, you could be shocked by the red ribbon displays. For example, I once saw a 36-inch diameter cabbage. Without a doubt, seeing is truly believing.

Other Alaska Blogs

There is a wealth of Alaska information in more Alaska blogs on this site. You might like these: Alaska Wildlife: College Fjord; Cruising in Alaska; Glacier Bay; Hubbard Glacier; Skagway and the Klondike; and Whale Watching.

Click here to visit Kathy’s Alaska Bookstore; here you will find four different books and two discounted offers. Her books are LOVED by thousands. Her two “Little House” books are trye adventure stories from a bygone era. They contain NO profanity, NO sex scenes, and NO violence. In addition to these popular two books, Kathy also has an adorable and educational picture book for early readers and preschoolers, AND a great book about Alaska’s glaciers.