Bees love the Bee Balm

 

 

 

Bee Balm Plant Information

Type: Perennial

Bloom Season: Spring Summer Fall

Attracts: Bees Butterflies Hummingbirds

Sun: Sun, Part-Sun

Color: Red, Pink, Purple

Soil Type: Moist

Drainage: Well-drained

Moisture: Moist, Wet

Height : Tall

Planting Width: 2 ft

 

The book "Secrets of Wildflowers" states that The Monarda Didyma is also called "Oswego Tea', a name of pre-revolutionary origin. In 1873 a botanist named John Bartram , a member of a team of negotiators who traveled from Pennsylvania to upper New York State, to make a treaty with the Native Indians, found this plant in the vicinity of Fort Oswego.

 

Be Present

The bee balm reminds me how to be present in life.

I mean, there's a reason it sounds like BEE BOMB.

It attracts bees like crazy, seriously these bees love it so much.

There was this one bee who basically came every day and had a ton nectar.

Over a couple weeks there was no more nectar in the bee balm we had. It's CRAZY?!!!?!?!

To be present means to be out there and doing things in the world.

All it takes is to look around you and try something new.

All those bees were being present.

All the times bee balm was attracting pollinators it was being present.

Next time you want to be present in something just take a look around yourself and think, "What can I do that can involve me in the situation?".

 

A tribute to the beautiful Bee Balm

Bee Balm, it's the bomb of the bees.
Boom Boom, it's what the bees love to eat at crazy warp speeds.
Oh Boom Boom Zoom!!!

It is a perennial, that mainly attracts bees,
but did you know also attracts butterflies and birds?
and they never fight, Sheesh, That's absurd!!?!

Give it moist soil, and partial shade or the sun and then expect it to be pollinated when your done,
because you are dealing with a

Bee Balm, it's the bomb of the bees.
Boom Boom, it's what the bees love to eat at crazy warp speeds.
Oh Boom Boom Zoom!!!

This plant is important for the bees, and for you and me because it makes delicious tea,
pollinators are crucial to the food chain, pollination helps us get more grains,
and honey for the bees generations!
Because of Regurgatation.
It means they gargle nectar in their mouth, and then they happily spit it out,
which is how we get honey, and honey means money for beekeepers.
But most importantly it is...
Yummy for my Tummy honey bunny all because bees have

Bee Balm, it's the bomb of the bees.
Boom Boom, it's what the bees love to eat at crazy warp speeds.
Oh Boom Boom Zoom!!!

It comes in many colors such as purple, white, pink, and red,
and even more than I just said

This plant can grow small as in like 4 feet tall.

Bee Balm, it's the bomb of the bees.
Boom Boom, it's what the bees love to eat at crazy warp speeds.
Oh Boom Boom Zoom!!!

Stop spraying chemicals, and being a garden traitor
because you are not only hurting us but also the pollinators
like the bees, the big honey creators.

So get out there and plant many many..

Bee Balm, it's the bomb of the bees.
Boom Boom, it's what the bees love to eat at crazy warp speeds.
Oh Boom Boom Zoom!!! 

By yours truly - Buzz Buddy

Wild Bergamot  another Native in the Monarda Family

 

While most people are familiar with Bee Balm which has many cultivars in the 'Monarda' family, the Wild Bergamot with purple/light pink flowers is less flashy but just as helpful to the pollinators.  The bees especially seem to love this plant!

It was first noted in the 17th century in North America and sent it back to England. Since it resembled the scent of the Bergamot oranges ground around Bergamo, Italy, it was named as such! 

Like the various 'Mints', to which the Monarda is related, they are used in teas and to add aroma to food and perfumes. 

Edible Uses

• Native Americans drank bergamot tea for headaches and sore throats, inhaled the oil extract for bronchial congestion, used the leaves to treat acne and used fresh crushed leaves to soothe insect bites.

• Some herbalist believe that Red Bee Balm is good for cleansing impurities in the blood.
• The spotted bee Balm (Monarda Punctata) is the source of Thymol used in mouthwashes like Listerine. Native Indians used it in teas to treat chills and fevers and stomach ailments. 
• If you are interested in experimenting with some teas, here are several recipes Bee Balm Recipes. If you plan to use it to treat a medical condition, please always check with a herbalist for appropriate dosage and frequency of use.

 What does your favorite flower color tell you?

We are connected with all beings and can communicate at very subtle levels with Nature, if we chose. We all love flowers, but if you are attracted to a particular color of flowers, it could have message for you.

"Mother", an occultist from India, had a way teach our what flowers and colors might be saying to us.

According to her, the color PINK in the wild Bergamot, is the color of Psychic. Pink, especially pink mixed with lavender, mauve or pale purple, can also indicate the emotional vital

RED represents the physical; the material world. Red is the color of the physical and of the material world. Darker shades of red, however, may also indicate some part of the vital. DEEP RED represents Divine Love

An exercise in the Geometry of the Monarda 

Nature is all about awe and mystery and can teach us how the universe works. As a homeschooling family, we are always looking for lessons in Nature to deepen our understanding of the world. If you are a teacher or someone interested in understanding the geometry behind how this beautiful flower spreads its seeds here is a great resource and exercise for it CLICK HERE 

Curious children would love exploring the seedpod. They can open a seedpod and check out the number, color, shape of seeds in there. It makes for a great art project to draw the seedpods instead of the flower too!

 

Enjoy using what is left of your Bee Balm and save some seeds to share with your community for the next planting season!

Best Wishes,

Uma & Buzz Buddy