Ajuga reptans

Meet the Ajuga reptans or Bugle weed, as its probably better known.  It's a European import in our backyard flower garden.  I first took notice of it recently, as it has begun to spread from the corner where it was planted.

Bees, particularly the bumbling variety, seen to like the flowers, which grow in six-inch spikes low from the ground.  Unwilling to get down to the ground level for this shot, I cheated and used the on-screen preview of my camera to line up this shot, taken with a ring flash.

An interesting bit of trivia is this plant's use in old herbals. One of its names is Carpenter's herb, so-named for its blood clotting capabilities.  Olde tyme carpenters must have been more prone to self-amputation.  These days, I pretty much restrict myself to smashing my fingers.