At Aldo Leopold Nature Center, we call these pizza flowers. Squeeze one, then smell your hand, and you will get a great whiff of oregano. If you're a tea drinker, maybe you'll smell Earl Grey. Either way, this plant is called Bee Balm and Wild Bergamot. Always covered in bumblebees, patches of these showy lavender flowers brighten up the prairie with a buzz of activity.
Monarda fistulosa has opposite leaves and square, hollow stems, which are common features of mint family plants. After going to seed in the fall, the heads darken and remain vertical through the winter, helping keep texture for the prairie landscape in the dormant season. These spread vigorously through slender rhizome roots, so if you plant them in your yard, expect them to multiply.
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