Coyote Mints are annual or perennial forbs in the Monardella genus of the mint family. The ones that are native to the Yuba-Sutter area all usually have lavender-colored flowers, but some of them produce occasional variants with white flowers.
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 (Monardella villosa) blooms with a single flower of farewell-to-spring in a garden in Marysville. Photo by queerbychoice. 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 tolerates serpentine. 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 on the Sutter Buttes at elevations above 1,600 feet. It is most often found on slopes in yellow pine forest. It occasionally grows in wetlands. It looks similar to common 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.
