Sue: Since we have been in Canada and Alaska we have been awed by the beauty of the flowers here both wild and cultivated.  The fireweed has been in bloom all along as the summer has progressed.  You may not know that fireweed is the first flower to return after a devastating forest fire.  It seems that the colors of the flowers are so brilliant because of the long hours of daylight they receive.  When we were by Denali the sun came up at four and didn’t go down until twelve.  It seems every home has a flower garden or a least multiple hanging baskets. The many varieties of cultivated species was wonderful to see.  I don’t know how many pictures we took of wild flowers other than fireweed.  There were flowers even at high altitudes that survive the harsh atmosphere and the cold of Alaskan winters.