| “Yellow Monkey-flower (Mimulus guttatus) - Growing in wet meadows and along stream banks, the Yellow Monkey-Flower's bright, yellow, spotted petals draw immediate attention. Delicate hairs cover the three lower lobes of the corolla and, together with the orange spots, help to attract insects pollinators. Close examination of the stigma reveals two roundish lobes which are spread apart. When one of these lobes makes contact with a pollen-laden bee, the two stigma lobes immediately begin to come together like the leaves of a book. The pollen will thus be held firmly and when the bee backs out of the flower, no self pollination will occur. The square stems have opposite leaves and are quite fragile because of their hollow structure.” {From: "Plants of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks" by Richard J. Shaw pg 84.} |
