“As I leave the garden
I take with me a renewed view,
And a quiet soul.”
― Jessica Coupe

This lovely purple flowered plant was given to me by my grandmother many years ago and is well established in the garden. For years I called it Bee-Balm, being uncertain of what it really was. It always reminded me a bit of nettle or overgrown Creeping Charley.

One of the joys of photography, which I have mentioned before, is that it allows me the ability to look at things more carefully and to use internet tools to search images. So, I now know that this plant is called Henbit or Henbit Dead-nettle. That explains my perception of it being some variety of nettle. Honestly though, I’m a bit disappointed in the name. It seems so dull for such a beautiful plant.

The plant is a great attractor of bees and hummingbirds, though a bit unsightly till it puts up flowers. The flowers are quite long lasting and we enjoy them through most of late June into July. It’s also quite photogenic and has given me a break from my peonies, which continue to provide their enjoyable fragrance and beautiful blossoms.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
2.0sec, f/32.0 ISO 100

High Resolution image on 500px

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