Horsemint seed head remains

If you looked carefully at the last picture, you may have noticed that not all the dry seed heads were those of Liatris mucronata. At the center of yesterday’s photograph were some remains of horsemints, Monarda citriodora, that had persisted from the spring. Today’s picture, also taken on the Blackland Prairie in northeast Austin on November 20, gives you a better look at one of those dried-out and candelabra-like horsemints. If you’d like a refresher on what this plant looks like when it’s busy being flowerful, you can flash back to an individual or a colony.

© 2012 Steven Schwartzman