Several years ago while visiting Olbrich Botanical Gardens here in Madison, we saw several unfamiliar mid-sized plants that were hosting a virtual cloud of small native bees. The name tags read "Calamint" (Clinopodium = Greek "bed" + "little foot). We found a baby one in a 4-inch pot at a local garden store.
The photo above is from this week after cleaning the winter debris in a front yard south-facing garden. The calamint has grown to the size of a basketball. It has a nice conformation, with dense tight foliage that has been spared the depredations of local rabbits. The photo below shows the same plant in the autumn of 2024 when it would have been a quarter of its current size, and in full bloom...
It is my understanding that bees and other pollinating insects do not share with humans an interest in large showy flowers. The double ("peony") tulips by the mailbox draw more views from local people walking by than they do from bees. Bees and beetles love the garden plants with thousands of minute flowers (the goldenrod is an autumnal favorite alive with insects in September). I'll try to remember to get a followup photo of this calamint this fall, especially if I can figure out how to embed a small phone video of the bees.
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