Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens)

Surprise Butterfly Weed

August 16, 2026

A few years back I put some Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) in my garden on the back hill and much to my surprise it is taking off on its own. Blooming every now and then, surprising me each time. Here is it shining bright with its brilliant orange, next to some of the Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens) which also attracts so many pollinators.

My favorite season is winter but oh my, is summer ever begging for more likes.

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Oh The Pollinators

August 8, 2026

I’ve always admired the ability of Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens) to attract pollinators. It’s not a native plant, which normally would really discourage me from planting it, and in many circumstances it is quite the aggressive plant, which would be an additional strike against it. But my back hill is perfect for keeping it under control. And as I said, it attracts an incredible number of pollinators.

Yesterday I noticed there were at least 10 Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) busy at the blooms.

The flowers of the Apple Mint seem to be always buzzing with the activity of these and other butterflies, and an assortment of bees large and small, moths, syrphid and tachinid flies, and many more.

One busy patch of mint.

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Painted Lady On Apple Mint

July 28, 2026

A Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) eating the nectar of Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens). As an adult, the Painted Lady butterfly lives from 2 to 4 weeks.

Favorite host plants for Painted Lady butterflies are thistles, hollyhocks, sunflowers, and mallows.

This butterfly has the widest distribution of any butterfly globally. It lives in every continent except Antarctica and South America, and is highly migratory. It can’t survive cold winters in temperate zones.

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Another Of The Hairstreaks

July 20, 2026

Yesterday I did a post about the Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). Today’s Hairstreak is a similar looking, Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). Small, swift flying butterflies, there are around 100 to 139 species of Hairstreaks in North America.

This butterfly is another small one, with a wingspan of 7/8 to 1 1/4 inches, found in the eastern United States. Most butterfly larvae eat living vegetation, this species has a surprise. Its caterpillars feed for the most part on dead or decaying leaves, mainly of sumac and oak.

Seen today on Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens).

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