🌿 Native Range & Habitat

Monarda fistulosa is native across much of North America—from Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia, south through most U.S. states to Georgia, Texas, Arizona, and northeastern Washington. It’s well adapted to prairies, open woods, dry meadows, marsh edges, and roadside clearings, typically thriving in medium‑dry to moist soils, often on calcareous ground The Arboretum at Penn State+15Wikipedia+15nativeplantgardener.ca+15. In the Chicago region, it’s recorded as a native plant The Morton Arboretum.

🍯 Ecological Value & Pollinator Support

Wild bergamot is a pollinator keystone species, offering abundant nectar and pollen through mid‑summer to early fall blooms:

🐛 Host Plant for Insect Larvae

Monarda fistulosa serves as a larval host plant for numerous species:

🌱 How to Grow from Seed to Flower

Growing wild bergamot is relatively straightforward:

  1. Start from seed: It doesn’t require cold stratification and germinates well sown directly on bare soil in spring—either outdoors or in trays Wikipedia+15Xerces Society+15Maryland News+15.

  2. Soil & light: Plant in full sun or part shade in medium‑dry to moist, well‑drained soil. Tolerates poorer or limestone soils The Morton Arboretum+1.

  3. Spacing: Sow or transplant seedlings at ~2–3 ft spacing; mature plants form clumps ~2–4 ft tall and wide prairiemoon.comIllinois Pollinators.

  4. Bloom time: Expect flowering from mid‑summer (June–July) through early fall (August–September) Wikipediaprairiemoon.com.

  5. Maintenance: Dead‑head spent blossoms to extend bloom. Divide clumps every few years to maintain vigor and control spread. Cut back in autumn to encourage fresh spring growth.

🌼 Native Pollinators & Insect Relationships

Specialist Bees

Generalist Pollinators

Lepidoptera (Caterpillars)

Why Plant Wild Bergamot?

  • It delivers high ecological value, providing nectar and pollen to a broad array of insects, especially specialist bees and native butterflies.

  • It supports butterfly/moth reproduction, not just adult feeding.

  • It’s low‑maintenance, deer‑resistant, and well-suited to North American native plant gardens.

🌱 Native Status & Habitat in Chicago

  • Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is native across Illinois, including the Chicago region, according to Swink & Wilhelm’s Plants of the Chicago Region and confirmed by the Morton Arboretum Wikipedia+15The Morton Arboretum+15Illinois Wildflowers+15.

  • It thrives in sunny prairie openings, woodland edges, roadsides, and mesic to dry soils, including limestone or clay-heavy spots Illinois Extension.

🌸 Blooming Season & Garden Performance

🐝 Pollinators & Ecological Role

Nectar and Pollen Sources

Wild bergamot attracts a wide variety of pollinators:

  • Specialist bees adapted to Monarda flowers: Dufourea monardae, Perdita gerhard**i (or gerhardi), and Protandrena abdominalis Rgalmanza+12The Morton Arboretum+12Wild Cherry Farm+12.

  • Bumble bees, long-tongued bees, flower-flies, sand wasps (like Bicyrtes), and generalist bees that sometimes access the nectar via holes chewed through petals by others Illinois Extension+2Wild Cherry Farm+2.

  • Butterflies, moths (including swallowtails and fritillaries), and ruby-throated hummingbirds are frequent visitors during bloom ��citeturn0search0turn0search7turn0search11.

Larval Host Insects

Monarda fistulosa serves as a host plant for caterpillars of several moth and butterfly species:

🌿 How to Grow It from Seed to Flower in Chicago

  1. Sowing seed: Direct-seed in spring after last frost or start indoors. Seeds do not require cold stratification and germinate best on bare soil or in pots/trays Illinois PollinatorsIllinois Extension.

  2. Location: Choose full sun to part shade, in medium-dry to moist, well-drained soil (tolerates clay and limestone soils) The Morton ArboretumIllinois Extension.

  3. Spacing & planting: Space plants about 2–3 ft apart to allow airflow and prevent mildew; mature plants grow 2–4 ft tall and wide, forming colonies via rhizomes and self-seeding The Morton Arboretum.

  4. Care: Keep lower foliage dry to reduce powdery mildew risk; dead‑heading spent blooms extends flowering; divide clumps every few years if overcrowded Illinois Pollinators.

  5. Flowering: Expect bloom from mid-summer into early fall, providing a steady nectar source through that period Wild Cherry Farm.

🐞 At-Risk Pollinators & Insects It Supports in Chicago

Specialist Bees

  • Dufourea monardae (Monarda sweat bee) — oligolectic, specializing on Monarda nectar and pollen

  • Perdita gerhardi & Protandrena abdominalis — also specialist bees that rely heavily on Monarda spp. for forage Wikipedia+15The Morton Arboretum+15NOG+15

Beneficial & Generalist Insects

Caterpillars & Lepidoptera

  • Hermit sphinx, gray marvel, orange mint moth, and raspberry pyrausta moth; plus many butterfly/moth caterpillar species in Chicago region (≈13 total) use Monarda as a larval host NOG+5The Morton Arboretum+5Wikipedia+5.

  • Coleophora monardella feeds exclusively on Monarda leaves as a case-bearing moth Wild Cherry Farm+1.

✅ Summary: Why Wild Bergamot Matters in Chicago Gardens

  • Native and adapted to the Chicago region, thriving in local soil & climate conditions The Morton Arboretum+2gardenia.net+2.

  • Provides extended-season nectar and pollen for a diverse community of specialist and generalist pollinators.

  • Supports caterpillar-host relationships vital for butterfly and moth life cycles.

  • Easy to grow from seed, long-blooming, low maintenance, deer-resistant, and high ecological value.

  • A key plant for creating pollinator habitat gardens, enhancing biodiversity and supporting insect food webs.

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