Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata)


       



































     Spotted Bee Balm is a native, perennial in Wisconsin. It grows one to three feet tall. The three to six-inch flowers appear in creamy, tubular clusters that are spotted with purple dots. The flowers are surrounded by large, colorful, pink bracts that are often more eye-catching that the flowers. The bracts can be up to 28 inches long, usually smaller. The leaves are narrow with serrated edges. They are medium green, and lance shaped. The leaves are 3-1/2 inches long and an inch wide. It prefers sunny locations in prairies, rocky woodlands, sand dunes, fields, and roadsides. (July)