Red admirals don't nectar much on flowers, Mary - the only plant I can remember them using is my Ellen's Blue butterfly bush -

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They reportedly like those sweet recipes with things like molasses in them, also rotting fruit, though they don't come to any I've put out for them.
My biggest false nettle patch is in part sun/part shade and they get real big there, about 6' tall. Some seedlings from this group come up in deep shade under my nearby big buttonbush and grow there, just don't get as tall. I've also got some in nearly full sun in my garden, and they don't grow quite as tall, also the leaves are more leathery, not as tender. RAs rarely ever lay eggs on these tough ones. Part sun/part shade seems to be just right, they just shouldn't ever dry out, dry soil being the one thing that'll kill them.
It took a while before I got any red admiral eggs, even though I'd see the butterflies regularly. So it might just take a while.
I think they would be more attracted to your nettle if there was more than one of them. If your plant isn't real crowded by other plants, it'll reseed around itself, but in the mean time, I'd plant another plant or two nearby. It's real easy to root, and Edith at Shady Oaks in Florida sells it for a very reasonable price.
I've already seen what looks like a female RA at my false nettles this year, earlier than usual - I guess the mild winter we had is the reason.
Sherry

I found a couple babies that have come up near the potted plant. I will pot them up. Since its in a pot, I'll try the new area and see. Its actually just on the opposite side of the fence from where it was but in more light. Maybe another around it will help. I have seen the RAs on Walter Vibrumun and on Lantana but again, I don't see many and usually when I do it is only for a day or so then its gone.

The Red Admirals are abundant out here. I had rotten luck trying to get false nettle to grow but found some Florida pellitory growing in a flower bed and it had several "nests" in it. I opened a few up and found caterpillars in them. Dug out my caterpillar book and ID'd them as RAs. Sheer luck finding them on a plant I considered a weed because it really does pop up everywhere. More so now since I don't yank them out.

Was able to find the eggs and photodoc he RA life cycle.

They are the first butterflies to show up when butterfly brew is set out.

As for nectar plants they use duranta, lantana, blue mist flower and citrus blossoms out here.

The pellitory really does grow like a weed here! It is always showing up in my potted plants too. Makes a decent ground cover when it is in season.

~ Cat

RAs in my garden like the Cosmic Orange Cosmos and Verbena bonariensis. But, like MissSherry says, they really love the rotting fruit.

My FN patch is in part shade and they take a lot of water, especially in the heat of summer. In full sun, you would probably need to water them daily if not 2X/day. They do reseed, but not invasively IMHO.

My hanging suet feeder with rotting banana is within 6' of my nettle patch, so I frequently get eggs. Summer before last, I raised 50+ RAs at one time. I love them. They are so cute curled up inside a leaf, and that is where they form their chrysalis, too. When they feed on the banana, they can stay on the feeder for literally hours at a time. Other butterflies (Emperors and QMs) come and go, but the RAs will stay there motionless for long periods of time. If it is a gravid female (they are larger than the males), she will often lay eggs, feed, lay eggs, feed, and so on, until she's done laying eggs.

I agree that another plant or two would help increase your patch more quickly, but they will eventually increase by its creeping underground runners.

Susan

If anyone wants False Nettle seed, just send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
False Nettle Seed
12876 SW CR 231
Brooker, FL 32622

The red admirals continue to flit around and lay eggs on the false nettles. I usually can't get a picture, because they hide behind the foliage. This gal laid an egg on a TEENY little seedling - she must be confident it will grow -
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Sherry

Beautiful, MissSherry! I have a soft spot in my heart for the RAs. She is definitely primed and ready for the 2012 season! My FN is up about 3" now.

Susan

I have a some false nettles, Mary, and a few Red Admirals. I don't see any cats though. The lady at the nursery said that it took a while for her to get a good stand of FN before she saw many Red Admirals. So, perhaps that is the key.

They do come up in other places and reseed where you plant them. I pretty much leave them alone when they come up. However, I only notice Red Admirals in the spring. I don't know why that is.

A question, when you guys put out rotting fruit don't you ge a lot of ants?

I use a suet feeder and hang it on a bent coat hanger or jute. This does double duty in that it attracts the very tiny flying insects that my hummingbirds dine on, too.

I apply Vaseline to the coat hanger or jute and that prevents the ants from crawling into the suet feeder.

Susan

Sherry, I love the pattern on the hindwings and the detail on the antennae in your first picture! I sure hope my false nettle does well this year because I'd love to raise some of the RAs. I've seen them here several times in the past but never had a stand of false nettle for them. Now I have about 50 plants if they all made it over the winter. This winter was warmer than usual, so I can't imagine that they would have died. Before joining the butterfly forum, I'd have never guessed that I'd be growing "weeds". ;-)
Cathy

He he he....I know what you mean, Cathy!
I leave all the cudweed that comes up for the American ladies, and that weed really LOOKS weedy! False nettles are, in my opinion, an attractive plant. You could plant it in a flower bed - the flowers would hardly turn any heads, but the foliage would be nice. :0
Sherry

Oh yeah, I agree that the foliage of false nettles is very pretty. That's one kind of weed that beautifies the place. If they ever would start to get out of their area, I know that I could always pull up the seedlings with no problem, but they have a pretty big area to spread so don't think I'll have to be concerned with that. I figure if the false nettle seeds fall down between the plants and make more plants, that would make for less weeding, which is fine with me!

The Red Admirals have become the most common butterfly around my property this year. The abundant growth of Pennsylvania Pellitory has made this happen, IMO. They are definitely using it as host plants. I was out watching them today go from one patch of those plants to another today, laying eggs. Speaking of nectar plants, the RA's visited the blooming Rue a lot in the winter after they showed up. Lately, they've found other things they like better.

I brought in three more red admiral cats to raise myself. I got this picture of one making their new nest -
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Sherry

Nice! The cats I have actually found are small ones so far, but there are probably bigger ones around also.

Yes, they're a variety of sizes, Linda.

I brought in some little American lady cats this evening. I noticed a big AL nest, and when I peeped into it, there was a last instar cat in the "J"! So some are really far ahead of the others for sure!

Sherry

Took this picture at lunchtime. They love rotting Banana. You will have to click the link. Sorry I am not up to speed on posting pictures yet.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:456817}}

You are right, Butterflyaddict - they DO love rotting bananas!

I was out cleaning/sterilizing my plant containers today, which is like an Act of Congress to accomplish, and 2 RA females were laying eggs like crazy on the FN. It's now about 12-14" tall, with some very small still. It is pretty when it first emerges, with its bronzy new foliage. So, I hope I can gather plenty of cats b4 the predators get to them. I don't know how anyone finds the eggs on them.

I have seen lots of RAs out this year, so it looks like it will be another good year for them.

I feed my nettles by top dressing every year, or making up some manure tea because they do like a good soil.

Also saw several other butterflies, including a Monarch!

Susan

I have also seen several early red admirals here in Minnesota. Last year they were almost non-existent. In 2010 (our last early spring) we had red admirals in our garden daily. They were all over our zinnias (lilliput mix / Come & Cut again) and the liatris spicata. I hope to see them on my rotting fruit soon!