Verbena hastata, Blue Vervain, Howard County, MD, Helen Lowe Metzman

A pretty kick butt bee plant. Lots of action at about eye height. Who can ask for more....it even blooms for long periods of time. Even better for the bee watcher. Likes wet feet, but I have a nice one growing right in my sand and gravel soiled backyard that I planted. I think this plant is underutilized in bee meadow plantings. This photograph by Helen Lowe Metzman will let you appreciate the beauty of the tiny flowers on the ever blooming spikes...sort of like a purple sparkler if you ask me. Picked in Howard County, Maryland. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200 USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.