Today, Cottonwood trees are used to landscape yards, parks, highway medians. They are also planted to minimize erosion and conserve natural resources. Cottonwood wood burns hotter than pine and is good for heating homes with wood stoves. The flowers are green. Leaves that look like petals, called bracts , provide the colors seen.
Bracts are usually a blood-red, crimson, yellow, pink, or color.
The Indian Paintbrush is a member of the figwort family of plants and grows on the prairie. The meadowlark has a yellow front and looks as if he is wearing a yellow shirt with black lapels. The head and back are brown and streaked. The brown colors help to conceal him from hawks while in the dried grass. Meadowlarks typically make nests in the grass, not trees.