bee balm

Some wildflowers have horrible names: cow vetch, bastard toadflax; sheesh! Only someone like Shawn would give beautiful wildflowers such ugly names. Many of them, however, have beautiful and appropriate names, none more compelling than Queen Anne's Lace which is blooming now. I found this one walking the crossroads this morning>

Milkweed is also starting to bloom.

I found this one right next to the Queen Anne's Lace.

I recently became aware of another wildflower when asked to identity one by my daughter-in-law, Ellen. I was aware of the wildflower as bergamot, but it has another felicitous name, bee balm. What a great name! It grows in the wild in the northeast this time of year, but cultivated varieties can also be observed, like these from Allyn's garden.