Nettle

Nettles
Nettles are tall plants with a central stem and leaves with deeply serrated edges. In Memorial Park they are found at the woodland margin and on unmown portions of lawn. The stems and underside of the leaves are covered in hollow hairs which can sting you. The top of the leaf is safe to touch! 
Nettles are hugely important for wildlife and support over 40 species of insect. Aphids feed on nettles, which are eaten by ladybirds and birds. They are also the food source for caterpillars of peacock, small tortoiseshell, painted lady, red admiral and comma butterflies. In autumn nettle seeds are eaten by birds such as chaffinches, bullfinches and sparrows. They are also edible to humans and are regarded by some as a superfood! 
Nettle is almost the sole food plant of the red admiral butterfly caterpillar. Red Admirals are seasonal migrants and can be seen as early as March. The females lay single eggs on the upper leaves of nettles, usually in the middle of large swathes of plants. The caterpillars can be black or black and a yellowy-green and feed on nettles before they pupate to their adult forms. The charity Butterfly Conservation reported a 400% increase in the red admiral population from 2022 to 2023, however in 2024 the numbers were much lower. This is likely due to the wet summer of 2024 as butterflies need dry weather to fly and mate. Wet summers and unseasonal weather events will become more frequent as a result of climate change. 

Did you know? 
In World War II the dark green colouring in nettles was used to dye camouflage nets, and in World War I the German army used nettles for their uniforms when cotton was in short supply. Nettle cloth has been found in Bronze Age burial sites dating back to between 2200 - 700 BC.

Did you know? 
The presence of nettles has been used in archaeology. As they grow in disturbed ground with high nutrient levels they indicate where human settlements used to be after all other evidence has disappeared.

Connect to nature: 
Make yourself some nettle tea or soup! During spring, wear rubber gloves and pinch off the young leaves at the top of the plant. Blanch them and use them in a recipe. Nettles are high in iron and can also be used to replace spinach. 

Kids activity:
Carefully explore a patch of nettles and see what you can find. Are there any ladybird larvae lurking between the hairs on the leaves?