Location: Meadows, Env Center, Woodland Trail, Pavilions Greenroof, Arrival Hall, Smug
In Bloom: August and September

An herbaceous perennial native to Eastern North America, mountain mint grows in moist lowlands and on forest edges—not in alpine areas, as its name suggests. Its dark green foliage is topped in summer by tiny, purple-spotted white flowers, which bustle with pollinators like native bees, beetles, moths, and butterflies around Glenstone’s Arrival Hall and Environmental Center. This beefy native spreads by both seed and root, making it excellent for restoration. Its leaves contain pulegone, a constituent of oil extracts with a minty aroma, which is very effective at both resisting deer and repelling mosquitoes. When released in the soil, this allelopathic chemical deters other plants from growing nearby, providing natural weed control.

–Kathryn Mitchell, from the Glenstone Field Guide