Indian Blanket – Native Plant of the Day 12/21/2023
Photo from 12/21/2011. Location: Desoto National Monument, Manatee County, FL.
More photos / info at the Gaillardia pulchella detail page.
Indian Blanket – Gaillardia pulchella
Also NPOD 02/22/2012, 02/22/2013, 02/22/2014, 11/27/2015, 12/21/2016, 12/21/2017, 12/21/2018, 12/21/2019, 12/21/2020, 12/21/2021, 12/21/2022
My wife took photos of this flower in the Caribou national forest in Idaho
Great! At least one Blanketflower species is known in each state. I wonder if what your wife photographed was Gaillardia aristata (Common Blanketflower), which is known in Idaho. It is a very similar plant/flower to Gaillardia pulchella. Perhaps the easiest way to quickly tell the difference is that Gaillardia aristata usually has basal leaves, while the leaves Gaillardia pulchella are all stem leaves. G. aristata is a perennial, while G. pulchella is an annual.