Over the last few days, every time I’ve gone out, I’ve noticed that the spotted bee balm or eastern horse mint (Monarda punctata) is blossoming all over the place. It happens to be one of my favorite fall wildflowers to photograph for several reasons. It tends to grow in spears where flowers are sandwiched between layers of bracts. They grow from the bottom upwards, and can get up to two feet tall. What’s cool about them is that no two spears ever look the same. The number and spacing of the flowers is always different. What’s more, most of the time the flowers are white or light pink with darker pink spots, but sometimes they’re just a solid, slightly darker pink. Some of the flowers can even have a yellowish background. The bracts are always different, too. Most often they are light pink with touches of green, but sometimes they’re all pink, and sometimes a darker pink. And then, of course, there are the all green ones. I think you get the point. The other great thing about these spears of flowers is all their various textures. So between all the colors and textures, it’s hard to take a photo that’s not interesting and pretty. So each year when fall comes along, I look forward to seeing these colorful beauties and for a few weeks, I’ll have fun taking their pictures.