Red Bee Balm - Monarda didyma (crimson beebalm, scarlet beebalm, scarlet monarda, Oswego tea, bergamot)
It is a beautiful, aromatic in rich red, spider-like flower. This native perennial can be found in eastern North America from Maine to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to northern Georgia.
Blooming time - from mid-summer to late summer.
This plant attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and bees.
Its scent is similar to the bergamot orange (the source of bergamot oil used to flavor Earl Grey tea). The name of this plant comes from a Spanish botanist, Nicolas Monardes who described
the American flora in 1569.
"Beebalm has a long history of use as a medicinal plant by many Native Americans...
...people recognized this plant's strong antiseptic action, and used poultices of the plant for skin infections and minor wounds. A herbal tea made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental caries and gingivitis. Beebalm is a natural source of the antiseptic thymol, the primary active ingredient in modern commercial mouthwash formulas." from Wikipedia
Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education on Fish Hatchery Road in Brevard, North Carolina;
other flowers were also blooming at that time.
Downy Lobelia?
Forget-Me-Not
Swamp Milkweed plants
