Mimulus guttatus, June 30, 2023
Common & scientific name
Yellow monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus & tilingii
Family
Lopseed, Phrymaceae
Location
Aspen grove below Highway 82, 8,600’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This cheery yellow wildflower can be found along streams, seeps, or ditches from the montane to the alpine. “Mimulus” comes from “mimus,” meaning “buffoon," for the clownish appearance of its flower. This flower is another Snapdragon castaway, into an entirely new family, the “Lopseeds” (per Ackerman), which is a first to me. The subalpine/alpine version is shorter with creeping rhizomes.
Mimulus tilingii, Ruby area, 12,000’, August 4, 2023