Very rare Paintbrush

[ronaldhanko]

If I am not mistaken this is an endangered species of Paintbrush, the Golden Paintbrush, Castilleja levisecta. It was photographed in Fort Casey State Park a month ago:



More pictures of the park and other parks which include historic coastal forts can be found here: Serendipity and Orchids: Fort Ebey, Fort Casey and Fort Worden

[WhiteRabbit]

wow! nice find!

[ronaldhanko]

Thanks, Whiterabbit.

[RosieC]

How cool. What an interesting looking plant and I can see how it gets the name. Great find.

[ronaldhanko]

Thanks, Rosie. The identity was confirmed by someone who knows these plants better than I do.

[Sekhmet]

Hey there,

Sorry I missed this, but Golden Paintbrush (correctly identified here) is near and dear to my heart! I study grassland ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest, and see these plants relatively frequently. A friend and fellow scientist is having good success re-establishing them in some research plots! They are a beautiful and unique hemi-parasite!

[mmursuli]

That's gorgeous. Nice pic too!

[ronaldhanko]

Thanks Sekhmet. Nice to know that these are being re-established. Someone else told me that they are disappearing in many locations.

[ronaldhanko]

Thanks for looking and commenting, mmursuli.

[Tindomul]

Wow! Awesome find.