Monarda mystery?

I have encountered, or created in my own mind, a mystery today. There are two plants in the Monarda Genus that are native to Minnesota:

• Monarda fistulosa, Wild Bergamot, and
• Monarda punctata, Spotted Horsemint

The former is more widespread in Minnesota and grows wild along roadsides in the county about 15 or 20 miles North of our property, but I've not noticed any growing in our area. The latter is growing abundantly all over the fields behind our house but only grows in a few counties in the state. The mystery that has occurred to me is "why one and not the other?" in each location. I'm going to see if I can figure out what's going on.

Spotted horsemint behind the house

Photo by J. Harrington

In the process perhaps I'll gain some additional insight into how people can go about learning what's native to their place and broader bioregion. Most of what I can find and have read is much longer and stronger on theory than application. For example, watersheds are considered to be one of the major elements of a bioregion. We live in the Sunrise River watershed of the St. Croix River watershed of the Mississippi River watershed. The first seems too limited to be a bioregional boundary; the second covers several ecoregions or biomes, and the last traverses several bioregions. How is one to determine relevancy?

Chisago County plant hardiness zones

Somewhere in our bookshelves I believe we have a county soil map. That may offer some clues to why we have punctata but not fistulosa growing in our fields. I doubt that there's much difference in annual precipitation in the two locations. There are three hardiness zones in the County and the area where I've been noticing the bergamot is mostly 3b while we're in 4b. That might help explain the distribution, or not. It will be interesting, at least for me, to see how far I can get at accounting for the locations of Monarda mysteries.

The Mystery of the Hunt

By Michael McClure

It’s the mystery of the hunt that intrigues me,

                   That drives us like lemmings, but cautiously—

The search for a bright square cloud—the scent of lemon verbena—

                    Or to learn rules for the game the sea otters

                                      Play in the surf.

                  It is these small things—and the secret behind them

                                    That fill the heart.

                        The pattern, the spirit, the fiery demon

                                That link them together

                      And pull their freedom into our senses,

             The smell of a shrub, a cloud, the action of animals

         —The rising, the exuberance, when the mystery is unveiled.

                                 It is these small things

                   That when brought into vision become an inferno.

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