Monarda citriodora fruit and ripe fruit

While observing Monarda citriodora this year, a couple of questions have come up.  After months of observations through a long hot summer, the plant is now completely brown including the spent flower bases and most of the stems are still upright.  Since the nutlets are completely enclosed in the spent flower bases it is impossible to see them without tearing apart the flower bases or turning them upside down and shaking them.  So, how would the observer know if the fruits/nutlets are still present and how many there are? The fruits and ripe fruits questions are difficult to answer.  I removed a flower head from another plant recently, turned it upside down and shook it and a dozen nutlets fell out.  The plant has been upright and brown through several data collections.  Should the answers to the phenophase questions fruit and ripe fruit be recorded as yes when the flower bases first turn brown and thereafter as no to all phenophases?  Or do you continue to say yes to fruit and ripe fruit as long as the plant remains upright?