Tooth-leaved Monkey Flower (Mimulus dentatus)

St. Perpetua Trail, Cape Perpetua State Park, OR, 5/2015.

We’ve been seeing a lot of these on recent hikes–both in the gorge and on the coast.  These leafy, woodland monkeyflowers are a different species than the similar, previously posted guttatus.  These bloom in the summer rather than spring, prefer damp shaded places at all elevations, and feature the toothed leaves referred to by the latin dentatus.  We’re not sure what insect enjoys dining on these leaves, but we often find them covered with small to medium sized holes (as above).

Saddle Mountain Trail, Saddle Mountain State Natural Area, OR,.

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