A bright spot in the crazy sun, rain, rain, rain, sun weather pattern is the formerly “threatened” native Golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) are having a tremendous season! Jacob snapped this pic whilst working in the Garry oak restoration area on Cady Mountain Preserve this week.
Covered in soft, sticky hairs, the sunshiny yellow perennial was listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 1997. Only 10 known Golden paintbrush populations existed in Washington and British Columbia at the time. Thanks to consistent habitat restoration and re-seeding efforts over the years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing the plant from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants in June 2021.
A big THANK YOU to our Oak Team whose volunteer efforts over the years helped our local Golden paintbrush population make a comeback.