Definitely B. cylindrica! They do have a pinkish cast to the flowers for sure.

Susan

That's the one - the red admirals and question marks will be glad to see that plant!

Sherry

Thanks guys. It is good to know I didn't start a large patch of the wrong plant. Hopefully I will get some eggs next year because I usually see plenty of red admirals and some question marks too. I planted it in an area where the sump pump / bird bath overflow keeps it pretty moist. The area has worked well for cardinal flower, buttonbush, and joe pye weed. Hopefully the false nettles like it too.

'Sounds like a great place for false nettle! My biggest batch of false nettles grows in the septic tank drainage area next to the big buttonbush, where I sowed some cardinal flower seeds this past spring. So far, none have come up. Being constantly wet/moist, the false nettles grow to about 6' tall and get real wide, too. They keep reseeding themselves and spreading out more and more each year, so this false nettle patch is really big now!
These plants also get a variety of other caterpillars, in particular a type that make a tight leaf roll that they "sew" up (you can see the 'stiches') and the cats are sort of transparent and wiggly. Maybe one day I'll ID them.

Sherry