When I was at the University, I purchased a spiral bound notebook with a picture on the cover of a hillside of mixed species of wildflowers. I know a few places that such a picture might be taken at the right time of year. I will always have that memory of a hillside of wildflowers, but will seldom have the reality.
Sometimes in the spring in the desert there are whole landscapes of color, but in the high country of Arizona wildflowers are more personal. There aren't really whole fields of flowers, they live a more solitary existence. In a way, the fact that they are not in a crowd, makes each plant more impressive.
This Indian Paintbrush is the Wyoming State Flower. There are many different species and varieties of the Castilleja genus that grow throughout the U.S. The USDA lists contain 106 species and 161 accepted taxa overall and they grow everywhere in the U.S. and Canada even as far north as the Arctic. There are even species that grow in Hawaii. They have a lot of common names, like wavyleaf, cobwebby, attenuate, Rincon Mountain, vernal pool, Port Clarence and on and on. Learning about Indian Paintbrush is kind of like finding out your best friend is a triplet. You thought your world was pretty well ordered and explained and then you find out that the one flower you recognize is really dozens of different species.
There is a dichotomy between being ignorant and enjoying the beauty of the flower and learning more about it and being wrapped up in details. I think that the dichotomy can be resolved if you love the beauty enough, even knowing the details doesn't spoil the view.
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