Golden Paintbrush

If I am not mistaken, this is the very rare Golden Paintbrush, Castilleja levisecta, among Washington's rarest plants and listed by the Federal government as threatened in the United States. Mark Turner and Phyllis Gustafson in their book on Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, say, "consider yourself very lucky if you find this plant, and take special precautions to protect it and its habitat."

We found a large area of it growing on the shores of Puget Sound in Fort Casey State Park, where it was protected by a low fence and a lack of mowing. Not wanting to enter the fence, I managed to get some pictures from just outside, and hope that my identification of it is correct, though the fact that it was being protected in this location suggests that it is indeed the Golden Paintbrush.

One more picture along with pictures of Fort Casey and the other Coastal Forts on Puget Sound can be found here: ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2011/07/fort-ebey-f....