Bigelow's Monkeyflower

Bigelow's Monkeyflower (mimulus bigelovii)

is a small pink flower

with yellow splotches in the middle

that I recently found near the Cottonwood entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.

I was near the California fan palms in the Cottonwood grove when I came across them and I was blown away by how beautiful they are.

Their only drawback is that they are so small, you really have to get down close to examine them to appreciate their beauty.

We found them later in the day off the Hayfield Road exit of the I-10 freeway, on our hike into Carey's Castle, but these were very, very small, just showing above the ground, more like purple mat.

They are one of my favorite wildflowers so far.