Monarda bradburiana | Eastern Bee Balm | Bradburys Beebalm | 20_Seeds

This is Monarda bradburiana, also known as Eastern Bee Balm, and Bradburys Beebalm. This perennial plant likes to live in full sun or partial shade where it will attract a wide variety of birds, bees, and butterflies. The hummingbirds especially love this plant and the deer stay away for the most part. Growing to about 2 feet tall this plant blossoms from the middle of Summer until early Fall. This plant is very desirable with the bees and is a protected species in some areas. This plant has an earlier bloom time and less aggressive spreading than other Monarda. Monarda plants, in general, are larval host plants for the Pyrausta inveterascalis, Orange Mint, and Hermit sphinx moths. They are also a nectar source for the Dull Firetip, Pine White, Diana Fritillary and Cassus Roadside-Skipper butterflies and the Bedstraw hawkmoth. I am sure that these plants provides for hundreds of other butterflies. These are the documented cases that I could find when I did my research. USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8.