Horsemint (Monarda punctata)

$5.00

Horsemint (aka Spotted Bee Balm or Dotted Mint) is a really unique looking, short-lived perennial that reseeds in well-drained, sandy soils. The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract many native bees and is also the host plant to the specialist bees Dufourea monardae, Perdita gerhandi, and Protandrena abdominalis (Holm, 2017, p 172) (Johnson and Colla, 2023). Butterflies also visit the flowers of Horsemint for nectar, including the endangered Karner Blue (illinoiswildflowers.info) and 13 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org). Horsemint is recommended as a preferred pollinator plant by the Xerces Society (Xerces.org) and a recommended monarch nectar source (Xerces.org). Mammals rarely consume this plant because of its highly scented foliage.

Photo credit: JohnX12

Horsemint (aka Spotted Bee Balm or Dotted Mint) is a really unique looking, short-lived perennial that reseeds in well-drained, sandy soils. The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract many native bees and is also the host plant to the specialist bees Dufourea monardae, Perdita gerhandi, and Protandrena abdominalis (Holm, 2017, p 172) (Johnson and Colla, 2023). Butterflies also visit the flowers of Horsemint for nectar, including the endangered Karner Blue (illinoiswildflowers.info) and 13 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org). Horsemint is recommended as a preferred pollinator plant by the Xerces Society (Xerces.org) and a recommended monarch nectar source (Xerces.org). Mammals rarely consume this plant because of its highly scented foliage.

Photo credit: JohnX12

Life Cycle: Perennial

Sun Exposure: Full, Partial

Soil Moisture: Medium-dry, Dry

Height: 2 feet

Plant Spacing: 1 foot

Bloom Time: July - September

Bloom Color: Purple

Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Landscape plant

Host Plant: 13 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org)

Specialist Bee: Black Sweat Bee Dufourea monardae, Perdita gerhandi, and Protandrena abdominalis(Holm, 2017, p 172) (Johnson and Colla, 2023)

Resource: Holm, Heather. Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide. Pollination Press LLC, 2017

Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023

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