Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Stinging nettle is a nutrient-rich, herbaceous perennial plant valued for its edible and medicinal properties. Ecologically, it improves soil fertility and supports pollinators, while also serving as a host plant for butterflies and other insects. It thrives in damp, shaded areas with rich soils, often near rivers, wetlands, and woodland margins. It emerges in early spring, with young shoots and leaves harvested from March through June before the plant flowers.