#narrowleaf mountain mint

[canaryhare]

Birds... but in a major plot twist... also plants :)

[faguscarolinensis]

Bombus griseocollis on Pycnanthemum tenuifolium / Brown-Belted Bumblebee on Narrowleaf Mountain Mint at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[vandaliatraveler]

Slender mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) is a gregarious perennial herb with a bushy, multi-branched form, spreading clusters of double-lipped, purple-spotted flowers, and attractive, needle-like leaves, reminiscent of those of the rosemary plant. The leaves have a strong, mint-like flavor and can be used to make a potent herbal tea. The plant’s characteristic flowers, with their single-lobed upper lips and triple-lobed lower lips, attract a wide variety of pollinators, especially small bees. Slender mountain mint grows in full sun in moist, well-drained soil, often in close proximity to wetlands and streams. The plant is relatively easy to grow in a native wildflower garden and serves multiple purposes - as a clumping, deer-resistant ornamental, an herbal tea source, and a nectar source with high wildlife value. Photos above were taken at Upper Deckers Creek Wildlife Management Area