Clarksburg, West Virginia, USA, 29 June 2023
The beebalm has begun to bloom, so there should soon be happy wild bees and wasps and butterflies, and maybe some hummingbirds, cruising the back yard.
These are among my favorite summer flowers, probably because they’re so bright and cheery, and require zero attention (as long as the deer and rabbits leave them alone). I love the way the scarlet color seems to bleed like spilled paint out of the bloom onto the bracts on the stem below.
There’s more information about Monarda didyma from the U.S. Forest Service (here and here) and from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (here).
Koppantó 