The good old Nettle or Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica). Some people hate them, some love them. I am in the latter camp and the Nettle is a great part of any landscape.
A plant that butterfies love and live on to being a culinary plant for use in the kitchen.
Butterflies that use nettles are commonly:
- Comma (Polygonia c-album)
- Peacock (Inachis io)
- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
- Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
There are also a number of Moths that also make the nettle their home.
Here are 10 uses for the Nettle from Gardeners World that are worth checking out:
- A hearty nettle soup
- Spring greens
- Reviving nettle tea
- Nettles help butterflies
- Nettle beer
- Nettle liquid feed
- Nettles as aphid trap
- Nettles for ladybirds
- Nettles as soil indicator
- Nettles on the compost heap
As with all plants and foraging you should eat only in moderation if you have not eaten before and forage responsibly.
Sparrowhawk Bushcraft 