 | | | “This is another clever initiative from CONE. It makes us think twice about the common yet important wildlife on our doorstep.
At Butterfly Conservation, being nice to nettles comes as second nature to us - we love them! Not only are nettles good for butterflies like Red Admiral, Comma and Peacock, they also have so much to offer to other wildlife. Our thanks go to CONE for increasing our awareness of this familiar and incredibly useful plant.”Charlie Rugeroni
Butterfly Conservation - the leading organisation for the conservation of butterflies nationally |
| | Butterflies of the nettle patchMany of our most colourful and well known butterflies depend on nettles for the growth of their larvae. They are all members of the Nymphalidae ( pronounced Nim-fa-lid-eye ) or Brush-footed butterflies. This is due the front pair of legs ( which are much smaller than the other two pairs and so not used for walking ) being covered in tufts of hair like scales. Let's take a look at those you may see in a sunny nettle patch.  | Red Admiral - Vanessa atalanta
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A common sight in gardens in the autumn where it will feed on Buddleja flowers and fallen fruit. Migrates from Africa each spring. |  | Small Tortoiseshell - Aglais urticae
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The adults are frequent visitors to garden flowers. |  | Peacock - Inachis io
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Unmistakeable resident butterfly with large distinctive 'eye-spots' on the wings. |  | Comma - Polygonia c-album
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The comma was struggling in the early 1900's but has made a remarkable comeback and is moving steadily northwards. |
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| | | | Did you know? | | Native American braves would flog themselves with nettles to keep themselves awake while on watch. |
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