Bush Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus var. aurantiacus)

Written by Cindy Nunn

This little beauty was photographed while hiking the Corriganville Trails, located in Simi Valley, Ventura County, California. It is commonly called the Bush Monkey Plant, or Mimulus aurantiacus, and is considered a honey plant pollinated by bees and hummingbirds. Certain native American Indian tribes, like the Miwok and Pomo, used the flowers and roots of this plant for its medicinal purposes and it was particularly good for healing minor scrapes and burns.