Stinging nettle

Nettle is a herbaceous perennial plant with dark green leaves covered with hollow stinging hairs. It forms dense vegetation and its relatively modest flower clusters bloom from July to September.

Nettle thrives in a variety of human-shaped environments, such courtyards, roadsides, pastures, wastelands and forest openings. In Europe, nettle is found almost throughout the whole continent and is widely dispersed throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

There is real superfood under the burning outer shell of the nettle. The whole plant is edible from the seeds to the roots. Its nutritional value is quite high, and it is local food at its best. Nettle is widely used as a natural medicine, spice, food, tea, and even as a bath whisk in the sauna.

The nettle is a common species in our forests and it is not affected by different types of forest operations. Logging is actually beneficial to nettles. As many butterfly larvae use nettle as food, it contributes to the wonderful diversity found in our forests.