Mountain Mint (Short-toothed)
Pycnanthemum muticum
Perennial flower
Silvery-green bracts flare around clusters of tiny pale-lavender flowers, making the whole plant look frosted from a distance. Xerces Society's darling — few native perennials support more diversity of beneficial insects per square foot.
The spec sheet.
- Habitat
- Moist meadows, open woods, damp thickets
- Bloom time
- July – September
- Sun
- Full sun to part sun
- Soil
- Average to moist
- Moisture
- Medium — tolerates some dryness
- Height
- 2–3 feet
What it attracts.
The species that visit, feed on, or depend on this plant — and how they use it.
Native bees (30+ species observed)
Nectar source
One of the top plants in Penn State pollinator trials
Predatory & parasitoid wasps
Nectar source
Beneficial flies (syrphids, tachinids)
Nectar source
The predators that eat garden pests
Butterflies & skippers
Nectar source
Spreads politely by rhizome, easy to divide. Aromatic foliage smells minty-thyme — brush it as you walk by. Not a true mint (Mentha), so it won't take over the garden.
Xerces Society · Penn State pollinator trials · Jersey-Friendly Yards
Other natives in bloom now.
- AtNative · NJ
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
The orange one. A dry-meadow milkweed with clusters of small vivid blooms that hold a huge diversity of pollinators through the hot months.…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug
- EpNative · NJ
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
The classic pink-purple prairie daisy with a raised copper-brown center. Blooms for months in the height of summer and holds up in a vase or…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Sep
- AiNative · NJ
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
The pink milkweed. A tidy, upright plant that stays where you plant it — no aggressive runners like Common Milkweed — with clusters of small…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug