🟠 Native Plant of the Week: Orange Monkey Flower Diplacus aurantiacus (Zones 7–10) If a hummingbird designed a plant, it might look like this. Native to the dry hillsides and coastal scrub from southern Oregon to SoCal, orange monkey flower puts on a show from spring through summer—and doesn’t mind heat or drought. It’s evergreen, exuberant, and oddly sticky (yes, that’s a feature). Here’s the dirt: • Grows 3–5 feet tall • Needlelike leaves, covered in sticky resin • Loves full sun to part shade • Needs well-drained soil • Drought-tolerant and low maintenance • Absolute hummingbird magnet • Host plant for the variable checkerspot butterfly Why “monkey flower”? Some say the blossoms look like little monkey faces. Squint and decide for yourself. 📸 Photos: Ed Miller, Olivia VanDamme & dpom via iNaturalist • #NativePlantOfTheWeek • #GrowNative • #NativePlants • #EcologicalGardening • #PlantsWithPurpose • #GardenInspo • #PlantLove • #SustainableGardening • #BackyardHabitat