FLOWER OF THE WEEK AT SOPCHOPPY DEPOT PARK

Spotted Beebalm

By LYNN ARTZ, SANDY TEDDER and DAVID RODDENBERRY

In late summer, the striking pagoda-style flower spikes of spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata) enchant. Whorls of small flowers rest on bright pink to lavender bracts, modified leaves often mistaken for flower petals. The actual flowers are small, pale yellow, purple-spotted, and tubular. The layers of speckled flowers alternating with showy bracts is stunning. Spotted beebalm attracts hummingbirds and many native bees, wasps, and butterflies. Caterpillars of several moths feed on the leaves. Also called dotted horsemint, this perennial, re-seeding wildflower grows to about 2-3 feet tall in full sun in dry, sandy soil. Like most of the mint family, it has square stems and its thymol-rich leaves, when crushed, smell like oregano. It is unpalatable to deer and rabbits. Spotted beebalm is blooming now in the NW garden at Sopchoppy Depot Park.