Monkey Flower - Mimulus ringens

Mimulus ringens, also known as Monkey Flower because of the shape of the flower, is a perennial wildflower native to Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. It reaches 2 to 3 feet tall, and flowers from June to August with a delicately shaped purple blossom with yellow highlights. It has a long bloom time, but even when not blooming, the foliage is attractive.  It will tolerate full sun with medium to wet loam or clay, including garden soil with steady medium moisture, but prefers moist to wet loam/silt and part sun.
 
Monkey Flower's native habitat includes riverbanks, ponds, marshes, flooded grasslands, and moist woods, making it a good addition to a rain garden or wet habitat.  It spreads by seed and rhizomes, slowly, under ideal conditions.
 
Monkey Flower can be used in aquatic gardening in moist conditions or immersed at a pond's edge. Pot it up in a 1-gallon or larger container and set in your pond so the surface of the soil is at the surface of the water, or is covered by up to an inch of water. Or, plant at the edge of the water and let it spread to find its ideal depth.