Flower for the Day Monarda 7-31-24

We have two different kinds of monarda. Both are also called bee balm.  Monarda fistulosa or Eastern Bergamot

is a native herbaceous perennial that occurs in dry soils on prairies, dry rocky woods and glade margins.

We have had this one for years.

New this year we have Moarda citriodora or Lemon Bergamot. It must have been in some butterfly seed mix that we planted.

Vertically stacked whorls of impossibly vibrant purple flowers prove irresistible to bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and just buzzing with pollinators (hence another common name for it, "bee balm"). The young leaves and flowers are edible and have been long used to lend a lemony-citrusy taste to herbal teas, sweets, and even liquors. They are also excellent as cuts with a long vase life. 

 Bee Balm

Today I'm sticking a shovel in the ground

and digging up the little green patch

between the hosta and the fringe bleeding heart.

I am going to plant bee balm there

and a few little pansies till the roots take

and the leaves spread out in both directions.

.

This is so the hummingbird will rage

outside my fireplace window; this is so

I can watch him standing in the sun

and hold him a little above my straining back,

so I can reach my own face up to his

and let him drink the sugar from my lips.

.

This is so I can lie down on the couch

beside the sea horse and the glass elephant,

so I can touch the cold wall above me

and let the yellow light go through me,

so I can last the rest of the summer on thought,

so I can live by secrecy and sorrow.

Gerald Stern