Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioica

Safety note: Foliage covered in hollow silica needles that inject formic acid, histamine, and serotonin on contact, causing immediate burning pain and hives. Wear gloves when handling.

Stinging Nettle is a widespread perennial herb reaching 3–7 feet tall, with deeply toothed, heart-shaped leaves densely armed with stinging trichomes. It thrives in nitrogen-rich soils near streams, farm edges, and disturbed ground across North America. Despite its sting, it is one of the most ecologically valuable plants in temperate zones, supporting over 40 species of lepidoptera larvae and providing iron-rich early spring greens to Indigenous and settler communities alike. Cooking or drying neutralizes the sting completely.

Habitat

Moist disturbed ground, stream banks, woodland edges, farms

Diet

Larval host for red admiral, eastern comma, and question mark butterflies; seeds eaten by finches

How common

Common