Erythranthe guttata - Seep Monkeyflower 3224
Wildflowers of the West 5: I have seen monkeyflowers in almost every national park and mountainous area I've visited over the past 50+ years. It's almost as common as Vetch, certainly in the western continent. On the last hike to Nisqually Glacier Meadow (Trail - flic.kr/p/vewv3c), just trailside was this one plant with one open flower. From the looks of it, I thought I had found my first orchid, but noooo, "just" a beautiful little Sweet Pea.
Erythranthe guttata, with the common names seep monkeyflower and common yellow monkeyflower, is a yellow bee-pollinated annual or perennial plant. It was formerly known as Mimulus guttatus. I don't know why, but several things I read point out that "There may be as many as 1000 scientific papers focused on this species. The genome is (as of 2012) being studied in depth."
A herbaceous wildflower, Erythranthe guttata grows along the banks of streams and seeps throughout much of western North America from sea level to 12,000 feet. It is found in a wide range of habitats including the splash zone of the Pacific Ocean, the chaparral of California, Western U.S. deserts, the geysers of Yellowstone National Park, alpine meadows at Mt. Rainier, serpentine barrens, and even on the toxic tailings of copper mines. It is also very common in New Zealand near water bodies. (Eyes open, Lance.)
Though I found this at Nisqually, my favorite spot in all of Mt. Rainier has got to be Louise Lake - see below.
There are so many wildflowers that I've photographed in Washington state (I haven't even gotten to the Pacific Coast, Hoh Rain Forest, Hurricane Ridge, Port Angeles or the coast roadside where I found wild Digitalis, Paintbrush, and all manner of Fuscia). Another time, perhaps...
Erythranthe guttata - Seep Monkeyflower 3224
Wildflowers of the West 5: I have seen monkeyflowers in almost every national park and mountainous area I've visited over the past 50+ years. It's almost as common as Vetch, certainly in the western continent. On the last hike to Nisqually Glacier Meadow (Trail - flic.kr/p/vewv3c), just trailside was this one plant with one open flower. From the looks of it, I thought I had found my first orchid, but noooo, "just" a beautiful little Sweet Pea.
Erythranthe guttata, with the common names seep monkeyflower and common yellow monkeyflower, is a yellow bee-pollinated annual or perennial plant. It was formerly known as Mimulus guttatus. I don't know why, but several things I read point out that "There may be as many as 1000 scientific papers focused on this species. The genome is (as of 2012) being studied in depth."
A herbaceous wildflower, Erythranthe guttata grows along the banks of streams and seeps throughout much of western North America from sea level to 12,000 feet. It is found in a wide range of habitats including the splash zone of the Pacific Ocean, the chaparral of California, Western U.S. deserts, the geysers of Yellowstone National Park, alpine meadows at Mt. Rainier, serpentine barrens, and even on the toxic tailings of copper mines. It is also very common in New Zealand near water bodies. (Eyes open, Lance.)
Though I found this at Nisqually, my favorite spot in all of Mt. Rainier has got to be Louise Lake - see below.
There are so many wildflowers that I've photographed in Washington state (I haven't even gotten to the Pacific Coast, Hoh Rain Forest, Hurricane Ridge, Port Angeles or the coast roadside where I found wild Digitalis, Paintbrush, and all manner of Fuscia). Another time, perhaps...