XOrange Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum)X
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Orange Hawkweed -or- Devil's Paintbrush (Hieracium aurantiacum), Asteraceae (Aster-Sunflower)
These brilliantly colored blooms almost evaded our camera. While the color of the petals was a stunning eye-catcher, the flowers were not especially large and on tall slender stalks with little foliage to capture attention. We only noticed the plants off the roadside from our car having been stopped for bison in the roadway. We marked the location and returned early the following morning to photograph the beauties. The petals of every flower were closed for business. Making a point of returning to our campground in the park by the same road to catch the plants on our return route, they were closed that evening as well. Third time was a charm. The plants are native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe. While protected in some of those regions, in Australia in Tasmania it is quarantined. Controlled as a noxious weed in New Zeland, it is watched closely. It is on the noxious weeds and/or quarantine lists of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington. As that may be, we had never seen these plants and found them stunning to look upon. In the park we saw only a few specimens in the one location.
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Plant location: The fantastic Yellowstone National Park hosted this specimen. We saw it there on August 30, 2009. Elevation 7861'. GPS coordinates N44?34.748 W110?22.787Plant -
Bloom season: June through AugustFoliage -
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