There is no red quite like Cardinal Flower red. The most intense, saturated scarlet of any native wildflower — a color so vivid it seems to glow against green foliage, visible from across the garden and irresistible to Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, for which it is the single most important native nectar plant in eastern North America. Tall, upright spikes carry dozens of two-lipped tubular flowers that open progressively from the bottom up over several weeks in midsummer. Named for the brilliant red robes of Roman Catholic cardinals, this perennial of moist stream banks, wet meadows and shaded woodland edges is one of the most striking and ecologically important natives available.