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| While hiking or just working around the yard you suddenly feel a sharp, burning,itching pain anywhere you have bare skin. Welcome to one of the plant kingdom's little nasties - the stinging nettle. Found and used world wide we have more than our share in Washington, the climate and habitat are ideal for them. Wildcat Woods is no exception and with this cool wet year there's a real good crop. Stinging needles are covered with very small needle-like spines, made from a silica like material (sand), hollow, very small and sharp. At the base of each needle is a small bulb containing formic acid, histamine and some other chemicals. This is what causes the sting. Cure(s) for the sting are many and varied, Outdoor Adventure kids have been learning about them- many times on a first hand experience! Found world wide the nettles are eaten, used as a natural medicine and subject to a lot of research for their medicinal properties. OK that's the human side, while exploring Wildcat last week some sharp eyed 3rd graders observed a segment of the web of life happening. Scattered around in a patch of stinging nettles were many bright and hairy caterpillars happily munching away on nettle leaves. That story continues below. |
