by hankinslawrenceimages | Sep 19, 2011 | Flowers, Orobanchaceae Family, Photo Locations, Texas, Wildflowers
© 2011 Patty Hankins
When I was Texas earlier this year, I photographed several Texas Paintbrush (Castilleja Indivisa) plants. A member of the Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) family, they are related to the Orange Paintbrush I photographed in Colorado last summer.
© 2011 Patty Hanknis
Known also as Entire-leaf Indian Paintbrush or Scarlet Paintbrush, these showy wildflowers are native to Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. They are not listed as endangered or threatened any where in their native range.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
Texas Paintbrush prefers to grow in sandy soils. It is commonly found in meadows, prairies and along open roadsides.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
The flowers of the Indian Paintbrush are actually small, inconspicuous and green. They are surrounded by the bright red bracts. Together the flowers and bracts form a paintbrush shaped spike that gives the flowers their name.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
Texas Paintbrush should be propagated from seeds gathered in the spring when the capsules are dry and brown. The seeds should then be planted the following fall. Transplanting mature Texas Paintbrush plants will kill them.
More information about Texas Paintbrush can be found online at
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
USDA Plant Profiles
by hankinslawrenceimages | Sep 17, 2011 | Asteraceae Family, Flowers, Lamiaceae Family, New Photos, Photo Locations, Texas, Wildflowers
Salvia & Blanketflowers © 2011 Patty Hankins
I’ve recently added a new photo – Salvia & Blanketflowers – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.
Yes – another photo of Texas Wildflowers. Whenever I head to a new location to photograph wildflowers I always hope to find a field full of local wildflowers. When I spotted this set of Engelmann’s Salvia (Salvii Engelmannii) and Texas Blanketflowers (Gaillardia pulchella) I knew I’d found the scene that would represent a field of Texas wildflowers. The Salvia has wonderful shades of purple – that contrast so nicely with the bright yellow & red in the blanketflowers. I just smile everytime I look at this photo – it brings such great memories of the beauty I saw in Texas.
This photograph is available as either a 12 X 18″ or 20 X 30″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Salvia & Blanketflowers from my website.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Sep 10, 2011 | Asteraceae Family, Flowers, New Photos, Photo Locations, Texas, Wildflowers
Mexican Hats © 2011 Patty Hankins
I’ve recently added a new photo – Mexican Hats – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.
Mexican Hats is the third wildflower photograph from my trip to Texas earlier this year. Also known as Prairie Coneflowers, these bright yellow & red flowers are very common on the Texas Prairie. In large clusters, they create a wave of yellow and red fluttering in the breeze. As I was planning my trip to Texas, I saw photos of the Mexican Hats in my wildflower books – I knew they were going to be one of the flowers that I’d be looking to photograph.
This photograph is available as either a 12 X 15″ or 20 X 26″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Mexican Hats from my website.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Sep 5, 2011 | Campanulaceae Family, Flowers, Wildflowers
© 2011 Patty Hankins
Once you’ve seen an incredible bright red cardinal flower you’ll never forget the amazing color of this wonderful wildflower. I’ve never seen any other flower that consistently has this incredible color.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
Cardinal Flowers (lobelia cardinalis) is the most well known member of the Campanulaceae (Bellflower) family. They are native to most of the United States and Canada, with the exception of the Pacific Northwest. Common in many places, it is listed as threatened in Florida and vulnerable in New York. Cardinal flower grow up to 6 feet tall – with a single spike of red flowers. Each flower has three lower petals and two upper petals that join as a tube at the base.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
The showy red flowers attract hummingbirds. Every time I have photographed cardinal flowers in bloom, there have been hummingbirds in the area. Not only are the birds attracted to the bright red color, but the shape of the flower – a long tube with a pool of nectar – is perfect for the long-beaked hummingbirds to pollinate.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
Many people assume that the cardinal flowers got their name as a reference to the birds. In reality, they were named cardinal flowers since the color of the flowers is the same color as the vestments of the Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
In addition to being a strikingly beautiful plant, Cardinal Flowers were used medicinally by numerous Native American tribes. In various forms, it was used as a remedy for pain, headaches, worms, colds, fevers, stomach troubles, syphilis, typhoid and cramps. It was also used to counteract witchcraft and as both a love and anti-divorce potion.The Jemez tribe used the flowers as part of their ceremonial rain dance.
Online sites with more information about Cardinal Flowers include
Dave’s Garden
Kemper Center for Home Gardening
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native American Ethnobotany
Native Plant Network
USDA Plant Profile
by hankinslawrenceimages | Sep 3, 2011 | Asteraceae Family, Flowers, Photo Locations, Photo of the Month, Texas, Wildflowers
Texas Blanketflower © 2011 Patty Hankins
In May I was invited to Texas to photograph wildflowers on some private property one of my friends knew about. There were over 600 acres of woods, streams, fields and wildflowers. As you can imagine I spent a few wonderful days photographing there. One of the most common wildflowers in bloom was Blanketflowers – Gaillardia pulchella. I love the bright colors of these wild asters. They are related to the Arizona Sun Blanket Flowers I photographed a few years ago. This was the first of the Texas wildflowers I edited up after the trip – and it’s still one of my favorites.
Until September 30 , 2011, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Texas Blanketflower. The photograph is available through my website in two sizes of gallery-wrapped canvases.
Save $ 11 on the 10X10″ Canvas – regular price $ 55 – September Photo of the Month Price – $ 44.00
Save $ 90 on the 20X20″ Canvas – regular price $ 447 – September Photo of the Month Price – $ 357.00
Free shipping to U.S. Addresses for either size photograph.
As with all photographs from BeautifulFlowerPictures.com, Texas Blanketflower comes with my Unconditional Happiness Guarantee. You have one year to decide that it is the perfect photograph for you. If it’s not, just return it (in original condition) for a full refund.
