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Stinging Nettles

Ohio State University

Last summer, I was out for a walk to clear my head. The sun was shining and I was lost in thought, so I didn’t take notice when my hand casually brushed up against a plant. I immediately regretted my lack of attention because suddenly, my whole hand began to sting and burn. As the burning subsided, it was replaced by an intense itching as my skin turned red and produced small, raised welts. I had inadvertently run myself right into the leaves of a stinging nettle, a plant that packs a whole lot of histamines and toxins into its leaves and stem.

W. Brooks Paternotte took the helm of Irvine Nature Center as executive director in July 2013 and immediately began building on the strong 35-year foundation. Brooks is a Baltimore native who was a teacher, coach, advisor, dean and Head of the Middle School during his 13 years at Boys’ Latin School in Baltimore. He is also an instructor and ambassador of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and is a Leave No Trace Master, as well as an avid outdoorsman and a features writer for FlyLife Magazine.