Red Admiral host plant: mint family??

Anne Kilmer viceroy at gate.net
Wed Aug 5 04:38:14 EDT 1998


Sheri Moreau wrote:
> 
> Rumor hath it that there is a plant in the mint family (possibly a hyssop?)
> that serves as a host plant for Red Admirals. I've been unable to identify
> such a plant. Can anyone help out?
> 
> Also, supposedly Red Admiral larvae will eat hops leaves, however
> experiments with several varieties of hops this summer have been fruitless.
> Is there a particular variety they prefer (bad as some beer lovers I know..!).
> 
> Ideally, I'm trying to come up with a non-stinging plant that is easy for
> teachers to raise in elementary school butterfly gardens. Baby's Tears
> (Urtica ssp), while non-stinging, can be finicky.
> 
> TIA!  Sheri (webmistress at mty.com)

We use false nettle: Boehmaria cylindrica. Actually, although it was on 
our lists, it volunteered in the zoo butterfly garden, from which many 
local gardeners have acquired their starts. 
Here, it's a nice little native weed. I try to discourage local fanatics 
from attempting to establish stinging nettle. We have enough unfriendly 
plants here already. 
I suspect it gets that name cylindrica from all the rolled leaves it 
acquires. Most of them contain little piles of frass. It also hosts a 
moth ...  
Anne Kilmer
South Florida



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