Lake County Native Wildflowers: Purple mouse-ears
- Karen Sullivan, Kim Riley, and Terre Logsdon
- Posted On
Name: Mimulus douglasii
Family: Mimulus (Monkeyflower)
Common Names: Purple mouse-ears
Colors: Pale pink to deep fuschia and purple
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The diminutive flower that packs a colorful punch and is often found on serpentine soils, mimulus douglasii (purple mouse-ears) is a species of monkeyflower known by the common names brownies and purple mouse-ears and is native to Lake County and the mountains and foothills of California and Oregon.
Purple mouse-ears attracts native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, and is a lovely addition to border areas of your garden or farm if you have heavy clay soils; it can survive in dry (serpentine) soils as well as near wetlands or irrigation as long as the soils are nutrient-deficient.
While the flower itself has five petals, it is called purple mouse-ears for the 2 prominent upper lobes, much like a field mouse.
It’s preferred habitat is in soils composed primarily of serpentine, the slick-green rock found in many areas of Lake County. Although not as well known as the state flower California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), serpentine is actually the official California state rock.
In next week’s column, we’ll discuss serpentine-laden soils and the unique plant species found on them, but for this week, if you have the chance to explore right now and find small 1- to 2-inch plants with stunning colors and ears, chances are you’re looking at purple mouse-ears! They will typically be in bloom for a few more weeks.
Nurseries where you can purchase seeds: Unknown at this time.
Terre Logsdon is an environmentalist, composter, and advocate for agroecology solutions to farming. An avid fan and protector of California wildflowers, plants, natural resources, and the environment, she seeks collaborative solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. Kim Riley is retired, an avid hiker at Highland Springs, and has lived in Lake County since 1985. After 15 years of trail recovery and maintenance on the Highland Springs trails, she is now focused on native plants, including a native plant and pollinator garden on her property as well as promoting and preserving the beauty of the Highland Springs Recreation Area. Karen Sullivan has operated two nurseries to propagate and cultivate native plants and wildflowers, has lived in Kelseyville for the past 30 years, rides horses far and wide to see as many flowers as possible, and offers native plants and wildflowers for sale to the public. They are collaborating on a book, Highland Springs Recreation Area: A Field Guide, which will be published in the future. In the meanwhile, please visit https://www.facebook.com/HighlandSpringsNaturalists and https://www.facebook.com/HighlandSpringsRecreationArea.