A Bad Hair Day?

This flower looks like it’s having a bad hair day but that ragged look attracts many pollinators.

Bee balm’s (Monarda didyma) nectar treat is deep inside those long, red tubes.  Each tube is a flower with stamens and pistils just waiting to touch a visitor.

The color is red, the tube is long. It’s perfect for hummingbirds.

And for moths that resemble hummingbirds — like this hummingbird clearwing.

Love that tousled look.

(photos by Chuck Tague)

3 thoughts on “A Bad Hair Day?

  1. Love Bee Balm, I have red and lavender. They attract amazing wildlife and smell so good when you brush against them.

  2. My hair looks like that all the time!! May have to change the style name from pixie to a “Bee Balm cut”

  3. We planted bee balm in our flower bed right by our back porch. The bees loved it, the butterflies loved it, the hummingbirds loved it. All was well the first and second years but after that it seemed to think it was kudzu and destined to cover the earth. My what a time we had trying to keep it under control! I’d recommend growing it in a container with a pair of shears nearby to show it who is boss.

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