Penny Perspectives - Chickweed Monkeyflower

Day 213: Most hikers in the Pacific Northwest will be familiar with the larger pink or yellow Monkeyflowers which often line the banks of our streams, their open faces telling the story of how their common name came into existence. Just as common but less well-known is tiny Chickweed Monkeyflower which begins blooming in late spring and persists throughout the summer, better adapted to dry soil than its larger relatives. Shown here in a Penny Perspective, Erythranthe alsinoides will be listed as Mimulus alsinoides in all but the most recent field guides. The distinction came about when molecular studies showed that Erythranthe followed a separate evolutionary line from Mimulus, and thus it was removed from the family Scrophulariaceae and placed instead in Phyrmaceae. While this informational tidbit in no way affects our enjoyment of the smiling "monkey faces" in our meadows, the reclassification demonstrates that science is always moving forward, toward a better understanding of the world around us.