Beard Tongue

We had a lot of this plant in our yard in Missouri and it grew well.  We brought one small plant with us from Missouri and it seems well-adapted to the North Carolina clay.

Penstemon digitalis "Husker Red"

The stems and new leaves are reddish in color.

Honey bees and other bees are frequent visitors. (Look how fast the wings are buzzing.)

And here is why the plant's common name is beard tongue.  Take a look at the flower's stigma and style.