June 22, 2008
In praise of Urtica
I can remember, as a young Boy Scout, herding even younger scouts through the thickets of Urtica dioica in search of the ever elusive “snipe” that inhabitated the riparian edges of the Big River at Cougar Bend. Most folks know Urtica as Stinging Nettle and with that also realize just how mean a little Boy Scout I was. Urtica has more uses than the abuse of tenderfoot scouts. It can be used to make cord and is believed to many medicinal properties by both Native Americans and European herbalists. If carefully collected, Urtica can be boiled and served as “pot herbs” and is quite tasty.
Boy Scouts are not the only creatures that eat nettles, however. There are several butterfly species that use nettles almost exclusively for feeding larvae.
Larvae of the Red Admirable (pictured above) and the Milbert’s Tortoiseshell are nearly obligate Urtica feeders. Satyr Anglewings and West Coast Ladies are also closely associated with nettles, though their larvae have been recorded on other plant species.
All of which brings us to the definition of “noxious weeds”. Urtica is a native species and it belongs along stream banks and other wet spaces. Yes, it stings when you touch it and it may need a bit of management in places with high people densities, but it does not deserve to be eradicated as some park managers are inclined to do.
And after you’ve gotten used to nurturing your nettles, we can move on to native thistles…
Posted by mbalame at June 22, 2008 9:49 AM