Chickweed Monkeyflower Blossom

[best appreciated at full size against black]

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a pictured of a very tiny Chickweed Monkeyflower bud, just about to open. Here it is, arms open wide and face to the sun. This tiny little flower measures only about 1/4" across and is one of the very smallest monkey flower species! I think they are so beautiful, and yet, their size, bright color and my inexperience made it impossible for me to take a good picture with my Canon SX30 last year! Yay for having a better camera!! I'm so pleased with this image and I hope you like it too!

The Chickweed Monkeyflower is in the genus "Mimulus," includes about 150 species and can be found world-wide. They get their name from the resemblance of some species to a monkey's face. This species is found in places where the ground is very wet, and are only found here on our property. Rain water runs down off of our hillside, through the meadow and down through the valley below, making this area almost bog-like during sprintime. I was interested to find out that monkeyflowers accumulate salt in their leaves and stems, and were used as a salt substitute to flavor wild game by Native Americans and pioneers. It also has medicinal uses; the juice squeezed from the plant's foliage has been used as a soothing poultice for minor burns and skin irritations.

If you would like to know more about monkeyflowers, Wiki has a great source of information here: Wiki: Monkeyflower (Mimulus).

This image was taken in April, 2012.