Stinging Nettles are good for butterflies and good for you

A growing number of people who care about conservation are turning over parts of the gardens to Mother Nature. Butterfly gardening is becoming popular too and this is very important because a very large number of species are declining in numbers, are endangered or even threatened with extinction.  Habitat destruction, Climate Change, modern mono-culture farming and the widespread use of herbicides and pesticides are all taking a heavy toll. Butterflies really do need our help!

It is easy to get a patch of Stinging Nettles growing in your back garden or on an allotment if you have one of these.  All going well, the mother butterflies will find the plants and lay their eggs on them. When I was living in Ely, Cardiff, I had Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady caterpillars in my garden.

Many moth caterpillars also feed on Stinging Nettle leaves. The curious Snout Moth is one species that has larvae that feed on this plant. It gets its name because of the projection on the front of its head. The large and very flamboyant Garden Tiger Moth with its for-wings painted in chocolate brown and creamy white and back-wings of orange with blue spots, has big furry caterpillars that are known as “Woolly Bears,” and they will eat nettle leaves as well. This pretty moth is sadly declining in numbers in the UK.

Nettles are perennial and will come back year after year after they have died down for the winter.  The caterpillars can eat away at them but you won’t have to worry about losing your nettle patch because they are sure to recover.