One of my earliest memories is walking with my Dad. One day he pointed out some orangery- reddish flowers and said, " those are Devils Paintbrush", their dark fuzzy stem and vivid colors were, and are fascinating to me. They remind me of my Dad, and rambling through the meadow or the logging roads, near our home. Summers, that were filled with the the wide eye wonder of discoveries and wonders, be they ever so humble. A vibrant and sturdy flower.who's nickle sized blooms, which go from usually a bright yellow in the center to vivid orange, to reddish orange, and even deep red on the outer age, are bright and cheerful. I feel that lushness of color is what has made them the traditional favorite of local children gathering bouquets for their mothers or grandmothers.
Another European import and find roadsides and lawns good places to bloom, thought it is generally regarded as a weed, but not by me.Devil's Paint brush is also called orange Hawkweed, has the scientific name of Hieracium aurantiacum. The Roman naturalist Pliny gave this character the name of Hawkweed, because he believed that hawks ate it to improve and maintain their acute eyesight.
