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Monkey Flower
Mimulus ringens
PerennialMonkey Flower
Mimulus ringens
Tap to flip backGrowing Conditions
Light
Sun – Part Shade
Water
Moist – Wet
Soil
Loam, Clay
Size
1-3'
Bloom
Lavender, Jul–Aug
Why Grow It
Rain Garden
Thrives in wet areas & manages runoff
Caterpillar Host
Feeds caterpillars of native moths & butterflies
Pollinator Magnet
Attracts many types of pollinators
Long Blooming
Flowers for many weeks through the season
Did You Know?
It is a critical larval host plant for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly — one of the few plants its caterpillars can eat.
The two-lipped, open-mouthed flowers were thought to resemble a grinning monkey face, hence the common name.
The stems are distinctly square in cross-section, a feature shared with mints but unusual in this plant family.
Wildlife Value
🐝
Bumblebees
Buzz-pollinate the snapdragon-like violet flowers
🐦
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Visits tubular flowers for nectar in wet areas
🦋
Common Buckeye Butterfly
Caterpillars feed on foliage as a host plant
Good Companions
💙 Great Blue Lobelia
🌸 Swamp Milkweed
🌿 Boneset
🌼 Sneezeweed
Planting Guide
- Sow tiny seeds on wet soil surface; needs light to germinate.
- Plant in full sun to part shade in consistently wet soil.
- Ideal for rain gardens, pond edges, and low boggy areas.
Plant Details
Made with ♥ by Lu Li