Newcastle

Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus)

From midsummer, the banks and shingles of the upper Tyne are bright with the yellow and red-spotted ‘monkey faces' of this amiable non-native flower. More common in rural Northumberland than in Newcastle itself, could there be a note of Geordie humour in the choice?

Habitat: streambanks and river shingle. Flowers: June-August.

Image © Bob Gibbons/Natural Image