Red Admiral

Have you ever walked through a field of stinging nettles? I have. I consider it part of my naturalist's induction. You aren't truly initiated until your legs are burning so intensely that you wish you could take something and scrape your skin off. I tried everything to get rid of the pain. There isn't much you can do. Vinegar worked somewhat.

Ever since that stinging nettle evening I have wanted to not only avoid the plant but felt that wiping them off of the planet would be a great thing.

Enter the Red Admiral butterfly that calls the nettle home. This butterfly has been flittering through Indiana fields and woods for a couple of weeks.  I've seen it up at the dunes and over by the Kankankee river. They migrate south in the winter. The Red Admiral is one of my favorites because of its friendly ways of  leading the way down the trail.

sources: "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Butterflies"