Blue vervain has narrow flower spikes artfully arranged into a candelabra of vivid violet-purple blooms. The spike flowers resemble stiff woven cords, and the florets open and burn bright from the bottom to the tops of the spikes from summer to fall. Once called Simpler's Joy for its medicinal qualities, it now graces streambanks and moist meadows, spreading to offer drifts that butterflies can't resist.