Every summer, Leelanau Conservancy land stewards survey for a rare, bright-yellow bloom found only in Michigan—one that still has researchers puzzled.
Wildflowers grow plentiful across our great state, blooming in fields and forests, along streams and among windswept dunes. But did you know there’s a rare flower that’s unique to Michigan—found in only 23 known areas—and it blooms right here in Leelanau County?
The Michigan Monkey Flower (Mimulus michiganensis) is a small, snapdragon-looking flower with bright yellow petals and a red-speckled bottom lip. It’s been listed as a federally endangered species since 1990, and it’s Michigan’s only endemic plant species (meaning it’s found nowhere else in the world).
Leelanau Conservancy staff officially began surveying for these one-of-a-kind flowers in 2012 at Hatlem Creek Preserve, as part of a statewide assessment. Today, that work continues every July, when the flowers are in bloom and easiest to locate.
Land Steward Emily Douglas says staff and volunteers run presence/absence surveys and collect data to compare year over year, all while teaming up with research partners like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, other land trusts, university landowners (UofM, MSU), private individuals, and the Michigan Natural Features Inventory.
“We’re all working together on the recovery plan and best stewardship practices for this endangered species,” Douglas says. “It’s an important effort—maintaining biodiversity keeps our ecosystems more resilient.”
Monkey flowers are an aquatic to semi-aquatic plant, and Douglas says these flowers need particular conditions to thrive; they’re impacted by water quality, pH, flow, temperature, and hydrology.
That means wetlands getting filled, streams being altered by development—all of these actions directly affect the flowers’ habitat.
And despite being Michigan’s (arguably) coolest flower, not much is known about it … including how it came to be.
“Nobody really knows what pollinates it,” Douglas says, “and of the 23 sites where it grows, only one produces seed that’s viable.”
With so many unknowns remaining, studying and sharing information between research partners is critical to understanding the Michigan monkey flower. Douglas says the Lowry Lab at MSU is currently researching methods to increase seed production, which would help determine how to maintain, restore, and establish new flower populations.
“It’s a gorgeous, dynamic, and mysterious little plant. There’s so much more to learn about it and the habitat it needs to survive,” Douglas adds. “I’m hopeful all the partners that study and work on Michigan monkey flower can stay ahead of the pressures that exist for this species.”
