We have bee balm, also known as wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) growing in our pollinator garden. It is a perennial plant in the mint family and attracts all types of pollinators. The plant grows in clumps of stems; each stem ends with several branches, and each branch ends in a cluster of narrow flowers. Each cluster of flowers forms a seed head that has one seed for each pollinated and fertilized flower.
When I photographed bee balm from our garden, I tried to capture several of plant stages, including the fully developed flowers, the initial seed head after the flower petals are gone, the dry seed head, and the actual seeds. These photographs illustrate those stages of the bee balm flower. Please click an image to see a larger version of it.
Bee Balm Flower
This photograph shows bee balm flower clusters in our pollinator garden, with an unverified species of butterfly.
