Seeds: Mimulus ringens (monkeyflower)
 
Seed information
Stratification:
 
C: (60) Seeds germinate after a period of cold, moist stratification. Mix seeds with a handful of damp vermiculite or clean sand (moist—but not wet). Place mixture in a sealed plastic bag and store in a refrigerator, NOT the freezer.
 
D: Sow on the surface of the soil. Generally these seeds are very small.
 
Includes a brochure with instructions on how to sow native seeds.
 
Plant information
A Pinterest-worthy flower if ever there was one!  Monkey flower gets its name from the blossoms that resemble tiny little monkey faces. This sort of thing happens with exotic plants hanging in greenhouses, not wildflowers in New England! Ahh, but it happens with Mimulus ringens.
 
Getting to the nitty-gritty, this guy needs wet feet, will grow to between 1-3 feet tall, and will produce small (monkey-faced!) flowers that pop alongside bright green stems and thin leaves.
 
M.ringens is a larval host plant for butterflies such as the Baltimore checkerspots and Common Buckeye. Care should be taken if planted in areas that have an infestation of Purple Loosestrife, as the native bumblebees that pollinate the Monkey Flower are attracted first to the Purple Loosestrife, and this native is unable to compete.