Wyoming Paintbrush

 Castilleja linariifolia

A dear friend asked me to paint Wyoming Paintbrush for a gift for her grandmother who grew up in the mountains of Wyoming. This bright red orange paintbrush brought her back to the happy days of her childhood, and was her favorite. Luckily, I just happen to know exactly where to find it growing.

This Paintbrush is native to the western United States, and is the state flower of Wyoming. It is many people’s favorite wildflower, and would be in gardens everywhere if it weren’t so picky about where it grows. Paintbrush is hemi-parasitic, which means it partially parasitizes other plants, and partially photosynthesizes. Many people have tried to cultivate it, and a few have had success from growing it from seed alongside a host.

Hummingbirds are the most commonly known pollinators, but long tongued bumble bees such as this Golden Northern Bumble Bee, Bombus fervidus, also pollinate this flower.