The red Indian paintbrush wildflowers and lush green sagebrush scrub are iconic to the Rocky Mountains and Western landscape. This beautiful bunch is from the high plains of Wyoming on the open prairie and bloomed after a few days of spring rain. The Indian Paintbrush was designated the official state flower of Wyoming in 1970. It is found on rocky slopes in the high desert, arid plains, open grasslands, and forest clearings across the West. The Indian paintbrush is also sometimes called prairie fire. This unique flower is a hemi-parasite or a root parasite which means it puts its tubes or 'haustoria' into the roots of a host plant to survive. This is why they are so frequently found together with sagebrush since they need another host plant in order to live.
