Montane.  Wetlands, wet meadows.  Summer.
Above: Near Yellow Jacket Canyon, September 10, 2014.
Left: Haviland Lake, July 23, 2005.

This lovely Mint is often lost in lush greenery of wet areas.  If you are walking through wetlands and smell mint, stop and search for Mentha arvensis.  Clusters of tiny lavender/pink flowers are tucked into axils of leaves that stick out horizontally and rigidly. 

Mentha arvensis is widely distributed in the West and across the northern U.S.

Mentha arvensis was first named and described by Linnaeus in 1753 from the nearly identical European species. "Mentha" is the classical Latin name for Mint and is derived from mythology: Minthe was a nymph lusted for by Hades, whose wife, Persephone, was not too fond of this shady pass-time, so she removed Mentha from the field of play by putting her into a field ("arvensis") of flowers --  Mentha arvensis.

Montane.  Wetlands, wet meadows.  Summer.
Haviland Lake, July 23, 2005.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Mentha arvensis