Paintbrush

Paintbrush – This Paintbrush was a welcome splash of reddish-orange in an otherwise natural grass area on Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Co.  This common wildflower has many variations and names.  As I was growing up it was often referred to as Indian Paintbrush.  While that name remains in use today, it is much less frequently used in field guides to wildflowers.  I have chosen to not try to use the genus name for this specific sample as there are too many similarities among the variations within the family.  The field guides all say that this is a desert flower, but I have seen them on many a riverbank in wet soil.