Saving the American West’s Sagebrush Sea. The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History. Bold Figures, Blurred History: The Great Gallery in Horseshoe Canyon. Head of Sinbad Pictographs in San Rafael Swell. Is It Rabbitbrush or Is It Sagebrush? ĭe Paola, Tomie. Text: Shannon Rhodes, Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University Īlpine Nature Center. Images: Courtesy & Copyright © Shannon Rhodes, Photographer I’m Shannon Rhodes, and I’m wild about Utah. Some have said that the sagebrush is the backbone of the West, and I would add that indian paintbrush adds a splash of color.Ĭourtesy and Copyright © by Shannon Rhodes, photographerAlong with horsebrush, buckbrush, blackbrush, bitterbrush which is also known as antelopebrush, and rabbitbrush, indian paintbrush and sagebrush tell a Utah story as distinctive as that portrayed in the brushstrokes of the pictographs of this land. I was surprised at first that she did not include indian paintbrush in the list of plants until I realized that willow, wildrose, sego lily, and sunflower all had practical uses beyond their beauty. In his appendix of “The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History,” Darren Parry shares his grandmother’s handwritten field notes about sagebrush, indicating its use in tea and purifying ceremonies. Mae Timbimboo Parry, once a recordkeeper of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone, sketched how to identify sagebrush in much the same way. Alternately, a student wrote that sagebrush is minty, soft, and “smells horrible.” We learned to recognize the sagebrush leaf three-toothed tridents and the magical way rubbing the leaves on paper both releases and traps that distinctive fragrance. Another thought that it looks like a banana, smells sweet, and likes bees and rocks. One student wrote that rabbitbrush smells like strawberries and is bushy yellow. To celebrate Aggie homecoming, my first grade class went out this week to explore describing adjectives of sagebrush compared to those for rabbitbrush, another brush native in Utah. In fact, some species of indian paintbrush are root-parasites for sagebrush, intertwining roots to access water and nutrients because they lack small hairs on their own.Ĭourtesy and Copyright © by Shannon Rhodes, photographerThe Utah State University fight song captures the love we have for the spots in Utah where sagebrush grows. Often, when we see indian paintbrush, whether we’re in Utah’s deserts up in elevation through subalpine meadows, we also see sagebrush. Availability is scarce and good harvest locations are unpredictable. Of course, our petroglyphs are fascinating, but I like to imagine how the pictographs adorning many of Utah’s “learning rock” sandstone walls may have been painted with brushes, fingers, and other tools many centuries ago. Most Indian Paintbrush species are hand collected in native stands. In Tomie dePaola’s children’s picture book “The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush,” Little Gopher discovers “brushes filled with paint, each one a color of the sunset.” The legend is a flashy tale celebrating this member of the figwort family and stories captured in rock art. The nickname “prairie fire” is an accurate one, highlighting the variety of colors we find: reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, purples, and sometimes a mixture of two. Patience is crucial for the successful growth of this vibrant wildflower.Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 3:02 | Recorded on October 25, 2021Ĭourtesy and Copyright © by Shannon Rhodes, photographerOf all the lovely wildflowers to enjoy in Utah, indian paintbrush has to top my list. Once seedlings appear, transplant with care. Germination can take several weeks to months. Keep soil consistently moist, not waterlogged. Maintain warmth around 70-75☏ (21-24☌) with sunlight. Mimic cold stratification by refrigerating seeds for 4-6 weeks. This native perennial adds a splash of color to natural landscapes and wildflower gardens, celebrating the beauty of native flora while supporting local ecosystems. Zone 4-8Ĭastilleja angustifolia seed germination involves steps: Sow in well-draining soil, barely covering. Thriving in open meadows and well-draining soil, it's a favorite of pollinators. Indian Paintbrush Photo Gallery I hope you enjoyed this little vignette into the botanical world of one of my favorite wildflowers found throughout much of America, and as later this week I am starting my training with the State of Washington in the Master Naturalist Program I hope to pass on what I learn combined with my photographs from. These bracts envelop small, inconspicuous flowers. This Indian paintbrush is under half a meter in height and has bristly gray-green to purple-red. It is an herbaceous perennial native to the desert scrub and woodlands of western North America. Growing up to 2 feet, it features slender, lance-shaped leaves and intricate, vividly colored bracts that resemble paintbrushes dipped in brilliant hues of red, orange, or yellow. Castilleja angustifolia is a species of wildflower known by the common names northwestern paintbrush and desert Indian paintbrush. Castilleja angustifolia, commonly known as Indian Paintbrush, is a captivating wildflower.
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