The road ditches are coming alive with pink patches of wild bad hair days or little fireworks of the Wild Bergamot. The two to four foot tall native plant ranges from purple to lavender to pink blossoms and is a is a favorite of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
Wild Bergamot Blossoms
The road ditches are filled with colorful summertime wildflowers, including the native lavender colored Wild Bergamot which look like shooting fireworks or pompoms (or just a bad hair day). The leaves smell minty and has been used to make mint tea. Also called Horsemint, Bee Balm, Mint-leaf and Bea-balm.
Wild Bergamot
There have been some leftover fireworks going off this week lighting the sky at night, but during the day the wild bergamots look like miniature exploding in the road ditches with their frizzy looking blossoms. Wild bergamot was considered a medicinal plant by many Native Americans and used most commonly to treat colds, and was frequently made into a tea.
Frizzy Wild Bergamots
Four days in a row with snow on the ground seems like it is four days too many as I’m not ready for winter yet since the calendar says winter doesn’t start until the 21st. I rather see some green and color from flowers, even ones that look like they have my bed-hair look. The purple pink blossoms of Wild Bergamot looks like a firework exploding and is found during the summer months.
Exploding Blossom
The rain which is melting the snow is creating some dense fog so no sunshine to be found. And even if it is above freezing, there are no flowers or butterflies to be found in January around here unless inside.
Red Admiral on Wild Bergamot
The road ditches are full of color from the orange lilies, yellow black-eyed susans and purple from the Wild Bergamot, which is also called bee balm, and the bees were very active in the flower blossoms.
Colorful Wild Bergamot
The sun was out today but by the time I finished the chores outside, I had enough of the cold wind chills that a walk through the woods did not appeal to me, especially since there wouldn’t be any wildflowers to stumble upon in the fields or woods. Other than a few stray oak leaves with a slight hint of orange, there is not a lot of color in the snowy landscape so I just have to count down the days until the first spring wildflower appears but I will have a longer wait before the late summer flowers, like the wild bergamot to brighten the road ditches.
Purple Color in the Road Ditches
Seeing a wet, shaggy looking flower in the ditch reminded me of my hairdo in the morning. Wild bergamot, is a wildflower in the mint family and is widespread as a native plant in much of North America, and you often see butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds visiting the flowers for nectar. But I didn’t see any insects feeding when it was raining and I was taking the picture, so I guess the butterflies had more sense to stay out of the rain than I did.
Wild Bergamot
