Be Nice to Nettles Week

“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

Moths of the nettle patch

Although sometimes not as showy as their cousins, the butterflies, moths are often just as beautiful and often more fascinating. In general moths are more cosmopolitan in their choice of larval foodplant, the caterpillars of some moth species will eat a wide range of foodplants and are said to be omniphagous.

Let's take a look at those moths you may come across in your local nettle patch

	Burnished Brass - Diachrysia chrysitis [more] Distinctive metallic patches are a key identification feature of this moth.
	The Spectacle - Abrostola triplasia [more] Is it a moth or a broken twig?
	Beautiful Golden Y - Autographa pulchrina [more] Found throughout the British Isles in June and July.