Bank Monkey-flower (Mimulus clivicola)

This flower grows in very restrictive habitat over a very small range that stretches from northeast Oregon to northcentral Idaho. It was described in the late 1800s, then rarely seen again until the 1980s causing people to think it was very rare. Once people got looking for it, it was found to be fairly common in appropriate habitat in the limited range, especially in the Clearwater and St. Joe basins of Idaho. It grows in open shrub/grasslands within moist coniferous forests. It can be absent or prolific depending on the level of spring rains. Both Idaho and Oregon classify it as a "vulnerable" species. Photo is from Pete King Creek, Idaho. May 1999