Coyote mints are usually surrounded by butterflies. Their nectar is a favorite drink for the
monarch,
variable checkerspot,
Western branded skipper,
Loquin's admiral,
rural skipper,
pale swallowtail,
Western tiger swallowtail,
anise swallowtail,
Clodius parnassian,
Calippe fritillary,
American lady, and
California dogface butterflies, all of which live in the Yuba-Sutter area. It is also a favorite drink for the local
bumblebee moth, which resembles a bumblebee but is really a moth.
Perennials
Common Coyote Mint
Common coyote mint is a two-foot-tall by two-foot-wide, evergreen coyote mint that is native to Sutter County and typically grows at elevations below 6,000 feet. It is most often found on rocky slopes with ephemeral drainages in central oak woodland. It looks similar to desert mint but has leaves that are usually paler on the underside and that often have toothed edges.
You can read more about it at the
Theodore Payne Wiki and the
Las Pilitas Nursery website.
You can see pictures of it at
CalPhotos,
Flickr, and
Picasa.
You can find out where to buy it at the
California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Desert Mint
Desert mint (Monardella odoratissima) at Bowman Lake in Nevada County. Photo by queerbychoice.
Desert mint (also called mountain mint) is a one- to two-foot-tall by two- to three-foot-wide, evergreen coyote mint that is native to Sutter County and typically grows at elevations between 3,000 and 11,500 feet. It is most often found on slopes in yellow pine forest. It occasionally grows in wetlands. It looks similar to coyote mint but has leaves that are the same color on both sides and that always have smooth edges.
You can read more about it at the
Theodore Payne Wiki and the
Las Pilitas Nursery website.
You can see pictures of it at
CalPhotos,
Flickr, and
Picasa.
You can find out where to buy it at the
California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Shelton's Coyote Mint
Shelton's coyote mint is a coyote mint that is native to Yuba County. It tolerates
serpentine.
You can see pictures of it at
CalPhotos,
Flickr, and
Picasa.
You can find out where to buy it at the
California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Annuals
Mustang Mint
Mustang mint is a coyote mint that is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations below 8,000 feet. It is most often found in disturbed areas in central oak woodland, valley grassland, or yellow pine forest.
You can see pictures of it at
CalPhotos,
Flickr, and
Picasa.
You can find out where to buy it at the
California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Douglas' Coyote Mint
Douglas' coyote mint is a coyote mint that is native to Sutter County and typically grows at elevations below 3,500 feet. It is most often found on slopes in central oak woodland.
You can see pictures of it at
CalPhotos,
Flickr, and
Picasa.
You can find out where to buy it at the
California Native Plant Link Exchange.


