Monarda fistulosa 2024-03-20 SW Michigan USA
Wild Bergamot empty seed pod that survived the winter. This was taken with my Nikon D850 using my older Nikkor 105mm AF macro lens. the outer 1/4ish of the frame was cropped out for effect. My older 105mm AF macro lens is slightly sharper than my newer 105mm AF-S ED VR lens, which is a little disappointing, as I cannot make use of the D850 firmware focus stacking and instead use Helicon Remote software running on my iPod communicating with the camera via WIFI. The built in focus stacking feature of the D850 is much more convenient but for some reason is incompatible with the older lens AF system.
"Monarda fistulosa" is a wildflower in the mint family widespread and abundant as a native plant in much of North America. This plant, with showy summer-blooming pink to lavender flowers, is often used as a honey plant, medicinal plant, and garden ornamental.
