Nettles

It is widely known that the Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) is the main foodplant of caterpillars of several of our largest and most colourful butterflies including the Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell. The closely related, but more local, annual Small Nettle (Urtica urens) is also eaten.

It's not only butterfly caterpillars that feast on nettles. They are much sort after by several species of moth, including the Mother of Pearl, Burnished Brass, Jersey Tiger, Golden Y and Snout Moth, as well as numerous other invertebrates - over a hundred have been identified on nettles - and of course these in their turn provide food for garden birds and their chicks.