Castilleja

Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja, a genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas.

I was lucky enough to be called upon to photograph portraits of a sweet couple I’ve know for a few years now. We roamed around their ranch in the hills and shot portraits in shady spots among pine trees and rock piles. Later on, we went further into the hills at sunset where we found a patch of Indian Paintbrush. It was a beautiful evening and these colorful flowers, our state flower, makes the hills look like a painting.

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a Trail of Indian Paintbrush

After the branding, the drive through the hills was a lovely one. The sun was out and the wind had settled down.

Indian Paintbrush, the Wyoming state flower, lined our path.

We saw so many patches of the wild state flower among the mustard weed, wild iris, and sagebrush. It was a lovely sight and a pleasant aroma.

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The Laramie Plains

The cows are spending the summer on the Laramie Plains and we go check on them from time to time. I use the term “we” loosely because Patrick goes  way more often than I do. But I like to think I do some good on these trips. Hey, I’ve got cows eating cake right out of my hands remember? Anywho, we see a lot of wildlife in this wide open space and I can’t help but share some of the beauty with you once again.

Twin Baby Antelope waiting for momma

Triplets!

The cows were happy to see us. They gobbled up the salt and mineral. They look really good and tubby out there.

Yum!

The bulls were not so happy to see us. They never are.

Staring contest with a bull can be scary.

But it didn’t stop them from attempting to get their groove on.

He's asking her if she wants to "see the inside of his truck".

Patrick spotted these guys as I got out of the truck to open a  gate.

Bucks Running Wild

And I almost stepped on these. Thank goodness Patrick saw them before I became Godzilla and destroyed their town and family.

Grounded Birds Nest

As we were leaving, we finally spotted our first state flower of the year.  You know it’s summer when you finally see Indian Paintbrush.

Indian Paintbrush, the state flower

more Indian Paintbrush

This guy needed to check us out before we went through his gate. We said hello and went our separate ways.

Curious Horse

It was a good day.