He book flows wonderfully and the pictures are bright and colorful. It is also a wonderful retelling of a Native American Legend. In the morning the brushes had multiplied and turned into flowers, and little Gopher became known as He-Who-Brought-the-Sunset-to-the-Earth.This book carries several good messages about being true to yourself and not giving up in the face of adversity. Every morning he mixed paints in hopes that these ones wouldn't be dull and flat like the others, but to no avail.One night a voice told him to go up on top of a hill next evening at sunset, `Because you have been faithful to the People and to your true gift, you shall find the colors you are seeking.' Little Gopher went to the hill the next evening and, lo and behold, there are brushes full of paint the color of the sunset waiting there for him to paint his masterpiece.Little Gopher painted his masterpiece and when he got done he walked back to his tent, leaving the brushes strewn across the hillside. He kept trying to achieve the right colors. This vision told him to find a white buckskin and to `keep it and one day you will paint a picture that is as pure as the colors in the evening sky.'Little Gopher got the white buckskin soon after, but didn't have the right paints to paint the sunset. If you missed last year’s spring bloom, check out this past Field Note to learn more.This story is about Little Gopher who was sad because `he couldn't keep up with the other boys who were always riding, running, shooting their bows, and wrestling to prove their strength.' Luckily for him he had his own special talent, a talent for painting and creating.When Little Gopher went out into the hills to think about becoming a man, he had a dream vision. The next time you’re exploring the park, be sure to keep an eye out for this bright wildflower! NPS Photo/McKenna Pace: The Woolly Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja foliolosa). Because of the plant’s parasitic nature, you’ll often find the Woolly Indian Paintbrush in close proximity to other native plants, especially Broom Baccharis ( Baccharis sarothoides) and California Sunflower ( Encelia californica). The microscopic hairs on the leaves of this plant is an adaptation to surviving San Diego’s harsh Mediterranean climate these hairs protect from the sun and capture moisture from the air on foggy mornings. Typically reaching heights of 1-3 feet, the Woolly Indian Paintbrush has red to yellow flowers and fuzzy, gray leaves. It thrives in low-elevation, open, arid environments like the coastal sage scrub plant community and is in bloom from March – June. NPS Photo/McKenna Pace: A closeup of Woolly Indian Paintbrush showing the distinct red-yellow flowers.Ĭastilleja foliolosa is a Paintbrush native to California and the northern edge of Baja California.

T-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more, designed and sold by independent artists. Species within the genus Castilleja are also hemi-parasitic their roots tap into the roots of other plants and steal nutrients from the host plant. High quality Indian Paintbrush-inspired gifts and merchandise. However, Indian Paintbrushes sequester the mineral selenium (Se) in their tissues, so their leaves and roots can be very toxic if eaten. Many Native American tribes used Indian Paintbrush flowers as a condiment for food and to treat various ailments. Many species are distinguished by their linear-shaped flowers with bright hues at their tips, giving them the appearance of a paintbrush dipped in paint. With about 200 total species, this group of plants is native and most common to the western Americas from Alaska to Chile. The Woolly Indian Paintbrush belongs to a large family of wildflowers known generally as Indian Paintbrushes in the genus Castilleja. NPS Photo/McKenna Pace: A Woolly Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja foliolosa) nestled in the coastal sage scrub at Cabrillo National Monument. One such wildflower that pops up every year is called the Woolly Indian Paintbrush ( Castilleja foliolosa).

But that doesn’t mean the park is lacking flowers! There are still plenty of bright blooms that catch your eye as you explore the park. Unfortunately, this year’s meager rainfall means we won’t see the same caliber super bloom we were so lucky to see in 2017. Last year’s mighty rainy season brought with it an onslaught of spring blooms at Cabrillo National Monument.

Indian paintbrush films