Snow white fireweed blossoms in front of Tia and Richard Rude’s home in Soldotna earlier this week. She said the unusually colored plants have reappeared in the same spot for several years. They likely have a gene mutation affecting the normally magenta-colored petals, but white fireweed is not unheard of, according to Matt Dowser at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. There is also a possibility that the plant had been cultivated at some point in the past, he said.