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I very much enjoyed your article and will forward it to some friends that love the labor of assisting butterflies and moths in their development. I've done it a few times, and enjoy the fascination of watching the process, which you convey so well in your article, but usually feel I'm not a good midwife for this process because it does require a constant foraging for leaves of the host plant and I seldom find myself able to focus for the time required.
In my neck of the woods, a Stinging Nettle is a different plant, the Cnidoscolus stimulosus, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2751/). When I first saw your article title, I thought it might be about this plant. Though my friends think I'm nuts, I do let some of the C. stimulosus grow in my garden (I've even transplanted a few to my preferred locations for them, usually with painful results!). They have one of the truest white flowers I've encountered, at least to my eye. Not even a twinge of green or pink that usually occurs in white flowers.
As it turns out, a relative of the Cnidoscolus stimulosus, which we call the "Spinach Tree" (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54381/) doesn't seem to be a host plant for caterpillars, but is a favored nectar source for many butterflies in our area.
Thanks for your dedicated efforts in helping the moths and butterflies and for reporting your notes and observations. It was very enjoyable!
The stinging nettles I mainly wrote about are Australian, but the genus Urtica is world-wide and the main European stinging nettle Urtica dioica, which feeds Red Admiral butterflies, is also found in North America (as a different subspecies) and according to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle
Quoted:
Stinging nettles are abundant in northern Europe and much of Asia, usually found in the countryside. It is less gregarious in southern Europe and north Africa, where it is restricted by its need for moist soil. In North America it is widely distributed in Canada and the United States, where it is found in every province and state except for Hawaii and also can be found in northernmost Mexico. In North America the stinging nettle is far less common than in northern Europe. The European subspecies has been introduced into North America as well as South America.
so although perhaps not common in Florida, they may be present,
I have them, nice white flower, I only leave them because I usually cant find anything to grab them with, they do sting. or feel like a thousand needles. Interesting that there are different kinds.
I found the article on stinging nettles very interesting and informative. In Bermuda we have them, but I have no idea which variety. Some Bermudians make a tea with the leaves which is supposed to have medicinal benefits.
Kennedy...absolutely fascinating! Your patience resulted in not only a wonderful experience for yourself, but also for all of us with whom you shared it. Well Done!!
I live in the great Pacific Northwest--the eastern suburbs of Seattle, directly across Lake Washington--and they grow wild too. The sting doesn't bother me at all.
