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1/500 f/11.0 100.0 mm ISO 2000

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

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macro
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Oregon
Pacific Northwest
Canon 5D Mark II
Monkeyflower
Janet Brien
Seep-Spring Monkey Flower
Mimulus Mimulus guttatus


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Seepspring Monkeyflower: The 50th Flower of Spring!

Seepspring Monkeyflower: The 50th Flower of Spring!
[best appreciated at full size against black]

WOO HOO!!! I've reached Number 50!! How many flowers will I find before I'm done? I am going to guess somewhere about 100! Let's find out, shall we? :)

If you've been visiting my photostream for a while, this flower will look familiar to you! The 16th Flower of Spring is the Chickweed Monkeyflower, and if you didn't see them side-by-side, you'd think they might be the same flower. However, this species has flowers that measure about 1" in diameter, and the Chickweed Monkeyflower is only 1/4" in diameter! These two flowers grow in the same place, but as the Chickweed Monkeyflowers are dying away, the Seepsprings take over!

The Seepspring 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: Monkyeflower (Mimulus).

This image was taken in April, 2012.

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