Penstemon barbatus
The Penstemon are everywhere in the Spring Mountains of Southern Nevada. So much so that my Mother has tried to cultivate them in the yard around the cabin. With a little bit of water and TLC they have been in bloom all summer long. These are the Penstemon barbatus, more info can be found at this Wikipedia entry. To find out about the over 250 varieties of Penstemon see this wiki article
This is photo number 281 of 366. The entire gallery of images can be found at this gallery: 2012 Photo a Day
The weather is due to change this week, so they’ll probably be gone soon after the first hard frost. Penstemon a really small flower, so photographing them has always been a challenge for me. This is an image that I actually like, even though the light was a bit harsh, I like the delicate details that you are noticeable on the very top petals. Winter is on the way and we’ll have to wait until spring for the next crop of Penstemon.