"I will do the the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked" (1)
"Who goes there! hankering, gross, mystical, nude?" (13)
"Still nodding night! Mad naked summer night!" (15)
"Jostling me through streets and public halls...coming naked to me at night" (38)
All these motifs appear amidst images of nature. They accentuate the significance of human relationship with the earth, as well as with each other.
I retrace my steps back to that whole idea of connectivity. And what connects us more to nature than our natural state of being? What connects us more to each other than circumstances so humbling? Whitman uses nudity as a motif to express the importance of being fully exposed to our surroundings, being fully merged with our undisturbed environment.
He tells us things in confidence, strips away social confinements, admires the night and loafs with lovers in the nude. These moments are all occasions in which one would already be comfortable or be seeking comfort. Whitman is contradicting the idea that nudity is shameful or perverse, he challenges those notions. He embraces nakedness as he embraces all other beautiful aspects of the world around him. Leaving us to reflect on our own ideas and accepted "standards" of nudity.
I didn't include "nudity" as one of my observed motifs but it is definitely an important one for Whitman as the theme can be traced throughout the piece and as you cited is mentioned regarding human nakedness in nature as well as to nature itself as in "mad naked summer night!" I agree that this motif represents Whitman's desire to get as close to nature as possible and to encourage others to allow themselves to be so exposed and to accept the exposure of others.
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