You contain more
Than the red and the purple and the orange
Which I see:
If I dared to tear you to shreds with my hands
I would find that you contain also water,
And ice, and even blackish-brown earth,
To make beautiful things with.
~Max Michelson, ‘Fire’ (1917)
photo: From August 2026, lóol, the fireweed (chamaenerion angustifolium) blooms from the bottom up, starting in early spring and serving as a mostly-accurate gauge of how much summertime is left in the tank. Once the stunning blooms reach the very top and begin to go to cotton, so it is said, winter is only six weeks away.