See Why a Beautiful Wildflower in Michigan Grows in Just One Place

Michigan has so much natural beauty with amazing Great Lakes, crazy-tall sand-dunes, forests and more freshwater shoreline than anywhere else in the world, but there's a small, pretty flower struggling to survive.

This flower is only found in one part of Michigan -- no other place around the world.

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A small, but mighty wildflower

We have to go Up North to find the natural home of the Michigan Monkey-Flower. Or, if you prefer its official name: mimulus michiganensis. According of University of Michigan Herbarium this small yellow flower is found naturally on Beaver Island (that's just north of Northport or west of Charlevoix).

Sometimes the Michigan Monkey-Flower is found in other shoreline spots along the northwest Lower Peninsula, too. If you see it, leave it alone.

Since 1990 it's been on the Federal (and state) list of endangered species.

The Michigan Monkey-Flower grows in very specific conditions

This small, beautiful wildflower prefers cold streams around cedar swamps, marly springs and areas nearest Great Lakes shores. It thrives in the sandy streams where it can get full sunlight.

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According to MLive, the flower grew in another spot on Beaver Island, but a property owner (unknowingly) wiped out that population near Paradise Bay many years ago.

There is good news. Michigan's Monkey-Flower is starting to spread further along some of Beaver Island's streams but remains on the endangered species list today.