Surprise find

I don't see these often in the local peat bog on my walks. It's a rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium), called fireweed in the colonies, wilgenroosje in Dutch:

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 42mm, ISO200, f8, 1/125s}

Not only pretty, but also food: young leaves and shoots can be eaten as vegetables, and are a good source of vitamin C and pro-vitamin A.

When you dry the leaves in the sun first, you can use them for making tea. The roots can be eaten after scraping off the outside and roasting them. The roots do become bitter after the plant flowers, though.

Thanks for watching!