Hoary Mountain Mint, as the name implies, has foliage very similar to Short-toothed Mountain Mint, with the leaves just below the flower heads looking as if they had been lightly but evenly dusted with powdered sugar. Short-toothed Mountain Mint can tolerate part shade to full sun, and likes moist but well-drained, average soil. Rub or crush the leaves and you’ll be rewarded with a scent that confirms that this is a mint family member. A soft velvety bed of pale blue-green foliage frames the blossoms. Short-toothed Mountain Mint grows to a maximum height of about three feet, topped with round heads of tiny white flowers smudged with bright magenta. This works out really well for their pollinator partners, who are looking for a continuing reliable source of food. Individual flowers in each cluster bloom progressively over many weeks, increasing each plant’s chances for successful reproduction. Plants are all about surviving and reproducing, and Mountain Mints are among the plant species whose survival strategy is to produce clusters of diminutive flowers, together forming a showy inflorescence, a strategy that has evolved to attract insects as assistants in the pollination process. The foliage of these two species is as showy as the flowers, enhancing their visual appeal. The genus name, Pycnanthemum, means densely flowered, hinting at the reason that these plants can accommodate so many hungry visitors simultaneously. There are several species of Mountain Mints, but my favorites are Short-toothed Mountain Mint ( Pycnanthemum muticum) and Hoary Mountain Mint ( Pycnanthemum incanum). From morning until evening Mountain Mints are alive with the dance of pollinators. These beneficial insects graze amiably together for nectar, since the profusion of tiny blossoms offered by these plants provide enough food for everyone to dine in harmony for many weeks throughout the summer. Usually blooming from late June through August, Mountain Mints attract a spectacular assortment of butterflies, bees, moths, and other critters. Looking for a deer-resistant pollinator magnet? Mountain Mints are your answer. Gray Hairstreak on Virginia Mountain MintĮastern-tailed Blue on Short-toothed Mountain MintĮastern Tiger Swallowtail on Hoary Mountain MintĬommon Buckeye on Narrow-leaved Mountain MintĬommon Buckeye and Honey Bees on Short-toothed Mountain Mint Hoary Mountain Mint with Northern Broken Dash Juniper Hairstreak on Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint Northern Broken-dash on Hoary Mountain Mint Sachem mating – They met on Mountain Mint! Variegated Fritillary on Short-toothed Mountain Mint
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