December 17, 2019

Water Mint


Nearly all year round you can find Mint leaves. Only when it really freezes they disappear. Here a big bunch of Water Mint (Mentha aquatica) growing on the bank of a stream.





Flowers have disappeared, or nearly, at this time of the year.





They grow in little mauve balls on top of the stems and also at the base of opposite leaves below it.





The plant has a mild mint scent that comes out when you walk over it. At least the leaves, the flowers smell subtly of honey.





In summer it is easy to find large many-stemmed tufts of Water Mint in wet meadows. Yes, butterflies love them.