Petition seeks protection for native Nevada monkeyflower

Wet winters are often accompanied by the blooming of a Western Nevada native, the Carson Valley monkeyflower.

On Monday, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the plant as an endangered species and designate a critical habitat.

Typically found in the foothills and Valleys from Red Rocks north of Reno to Dresslerville, the few-inch tall plant has a yellow flower with a large red spot on the lower petal and narrow green leaves, according to the Nevada Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.

The plant grows in sandy soils and is sometimes found near desert peach.

“The Carson Valley monkeyflower has been assessed as facing the most threats of any rare plant in Nevada,” according to the petition. “Chief among those threats is that of direct habitat loss due to development.”

The petition also lists off-highway vehicle use, sand and gravel mining, trash dumping, utility corridors, domestic cattle grazing, wild horse grazing and fires.

“It flowers in April to May each year and responds strongly to the preceding winter’s precipitation” the organization said. “In wet years there may be very robust blooms, while in drought it may not flower at all.”

The plant is not under any federal protection though is considered a sensitive species.

One of the habitats of the monkeyflower is located just east of the Gardnerville Ranchos, according to a map included in the petition.

That is near a site proposed for an 85-unit project.