Wild bergamot is blooming everywhere right now, and people are noticing
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
If you've got bees, hummingbirds, or swallowtails visiting your yard this week, wild bergamot's lavender blooms are likely part of why, and its surge in sightings is your cue that it's not too late to spot or plant it.
Wild bergamot is a native wildflower in the mint family, with shaggy lavender flowers that pollinators love. This week nearly 1,300 people logged verified sightings of it on iNaturalist, which usually means it's hitting peak bloom in gardens, meadows, and roadsides right now. It's also a plant with a long history as a medicinal and culinary herb, related to the bergamot orange that flavors Earl Grey tea in name only.
Key Findings
1,277 research-grade observations of wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) were logged on iNaturalist in a single week
The species ranked among the most-observed plants on the platform for the period, indicating widespread current bloom activity
High observation volume suggests the plant is in peak flowering across a large portion of its North American range
chevron_right Technical Summary
Wild bergamot, a native mint-family wildflower beloved by bees and butterflies, is having a huge week on iNaturalist with 1,277 verified sightings, signaling its peak bloom is underway across much of North America.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) — 1277 observations this week
wild bergamot is among the most observed plant species this week with 1277 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Monarda fistulosa, the wild bergamot or bee balm, is a wildflower in the mint family Lamiaceae, widespread and abundant as a native plant in much of North America. This plant, with showy summer-blooming pink to lavender flowers, is often used as a honey plant, medicinal plant, and garden ornament...