The dead nettle has bright orange pollen which give the foraging bees an orange stripe on thier heads. This weed is particularly useful to them as that pollen may be in short supply if there are few flowering trees in your area.
Are stinging nettles good for anything?
Stinging nettle has been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. Today, many people use it to treat urinary problems during the early stages of an enlarged prostate (called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH).
Why is stinging nettle a problem?
Nettles are a valuable food plant for British butterflies and have several herbal uses. But they can also engulf borders and rough ground in a short space of time, compete with garden plants and pose a risk from their stinging hairs.
Who should not use stinging nettle?
Pregnant women should avoid consuming stinging nettle because it may trigger uterine contractions, which can raise the risk of a miscarriage (40). Speak to your doctor before consuming stinging nettle if you’re taking one of the following: Blood thinners. Blood pressure medication.
Is stinging nettle good for the garden?
Nettles are high in nutrients such iron, magnesium and nitrogen. If you get them out before they set seed they can be added to compost or dug in as a green manure crop. If they have go to seed you can still use them – just drown them for a few days to make a nutrient rich liquid fertiliser.
What animals eat stinging nettle?
Stinging nettles are great for wildlife
Peacock, red admiral, small tortoiseshell, comma and painted lady butterflies all have caterpillars whose only, or main, source of food is the nettle.
Is stinging nettle poisonous to dogs?
Stinging nettles aren’t known to be poisonous for dogs, and typically stings cause only mild discomfort for a few hours. However, there have been cases of dogs suffering from toxicity.
What happens if you touch nettles?
Nettles are plants with sharp hairs on their leaves. If you touch them, these hairs inject irritants into the skin, making it itchy, red and swollen.
How long do stinging nettles last?
This acid can redden the skin and cause a non-spreading rash that can last up to 24 hours. Remedies for this sting include a plant that often grows next to it called jewelweed.
When should nettles be cut back?
The best time to cut nettles for a liquid plant fertiliser is early spring, as this is when the nitrogen content is at its highest. To ensure that the butterfly larvae are not disturbed it is best to cut in March and again (if you want to) in October.
Is nettles a blood thinner?
Antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs (blood-thinners) — Stinging nettle may affect the blood’s ability to clot, and could interfere with any blood-thinning drugs you are taking, including: Warfarin (Coumadin)
Are nettles good for arthritis?
Stinging nettle is an alternative remedy that people use for many reasons, including reducing arthritis pain and treating seasonal allergies.
Can you eat raw stinging nettle?
It’s the simplest way of getting nettle into your body, but you can also cook it into larger dishes or even apply it topically if you have a skin irritation. Because the stings have to remain firm to cause the irritation, cooking the leaf instantly makes them safe – don’t try to eat the leaf raw in a salad or anything.
Is stinging nettle invasive?
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Stinging nettle is considered a weedy, invasive species. It is listed as a noxious weed in several Canadian provinces. Stinging nettle hairs are irritating to human skin, and the pollen is a major contributor to summer hay fever [1].
Do nettles spread?
Stinging nettle spreads slowly by rhizomes, allowing it to form dense colonies that can exclude other species. It thrives in damp, nutrient- rich soil and tolerates partial shade, but does not grow well where soil nutrients are low.
Where should I plant nettles?
Choose a spot that has rich, moist soil a little way from any other herbs. Seed in the spring in rows that are an inch (2.5 cm.) apart and keep the area moist. If you started your nettle inside, transplant the growing nettle greens into a prepared garden bed, spaced at least 12 inches (31 cm.)
Do butterflies like stinging nettles?
‘Nettles are the food plant for the caterpillars of red admiral, small tortoiseshell, painted lady and comma butterflies. ‘It’s important to treat your nettles like any other garden plant if you are growing for the benefit of butterflies. Cut them regularly to get good fresh growth from the nettles. ‘
Do birds like stinging nettles?
Stinging nettles are great wildlife attractors: caterpillars of the small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies use them as foodplants; ladybirds feast on the aphids that shelter among them; and seed-eating birds enjoy their autumn spoils.
Do stinging nettles sting all year round?
It is Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica. Is there a time of year when Nettles don’t sting? No, they sting year round.
Why is my cat eating nettles?
Nettles not only boost your pet’s immune system, but they’re also natural diuretics that help your cat and dog get rid of waste from the body and are great a natural remedy for those pets that often suffer from allergies. Nettles are a cooling herb so work well for those pets that are always hot.
Why is my dog eating nettles?
Not only will nettles help with reducing allergies, but due to their anti-inflammatory nature, they have can also help with the pain of arthritis. To treat your dog for allergies, simply add 1/2 tsp. of dried leaf per cup to their food daily during allergy season. You can do this all year long.
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