During the month of March, Becky, Queen of the Square format, is back. This month she would like to see anything spiky, jagged, bristly, serrated, prickly or barbed in whatever interpretation you like. The only rule: it must be a square.
March Squares
Bush Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus)
The sticky monkey-flower or orange bush monkey-flower, is a flowering plant that grows in a subshrub form, native to southwestern North America from southwestern Oregon south through most of California. Miwok Indians used the crushed leaves for sores and burns and used the flowers to create ornamental wreaths for children’s hair. The Pomo Indians used a decoction to treat bloodshot eyes caused by living in a smoky tepee.
Earth laughs in flowers 
I haven’t seen this one before, I don’t think but it is certainly cheery (and spiky).
Wow, I’ve never seen a mimulus that looked like that! hard to believe it’s a monkeyflower! Pretty cool.
Oh my, that’s spiky! And fascinating how it is used. Must work if it is used by so many different tribes.
Thanks to the Eden Project for the information.
Now there’s somewhere I’d love to go back to.
I had a local’s pass last year and maybe went four times? The tropical biome doesn’t change much, but the outside grounds are lovely now too. Very expensive to visit though.
Oh how wonderful. Wish they did that with Hillier’s, why do they make things so expensive?
Very pretty spikes, Jude. What a useful plant.
Apparently so!
I like the stories around this pretty flower.
Yes, it is an interesting flower.
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