INDIAN PAINTBRUSH:   This distinctive and showy native flower is common in the foothills and Parkland area of central Alberta.  With its red tubular flowers, it is an important source of nectar for hummingbirds and insects.  The flowers are actually 3-lobed bracts surrounding greenish tubular flowers.  Blooms from mid-summer onwards and prefers full to partial sun in moisture-retentive soils.  Parasitic or semi-parasitic in nature it must be grown with other plants and grasses.  In the wild it feeds off the roots of Aspen trees and other flowers.  Sow it direct into the soil in late fall or early spring in an area with existing vegetation.  Cover the seeds with just a light  dusting of soil.  Not easy to establish.  60 seeds.    NF 739