Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioica

-85

Severe harm

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Height: 3–9 feet
Spread: 1–3 feet
Light: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Urtica dioica — foliage photograph — no rights reserved · CC0 · Original photograph

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Virginia.

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial

Not yet recorded · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 32 Virginia counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 127 animals.

Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Wood-pewee
Contopus virens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Gadwall
Anas strepera
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Golden-winged Warbler
Vermivora chrysoptera
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Warbler
Wilsonia citrina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Bittern
Ixobrychus exilis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Flycatcher
Empidonax minimus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Orchard Oriole
Icterus spurius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Rough-legged Hawk
Buteo lagopus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

33CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Urtica

Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
Vanessa atalantaRed Admiral
Abrostola ovalisWhite-Shouldered Nettle Moth
Abrostola urentisNettle Looper, Spectacled Nettle Moth, Variegated Brindle
Acronicta impressaImpressive Dagger, Printed Dagger
Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
Agonopterix pulvipennellaGoldenrod Leaffolder, Featherduster Agonopterix
Allagrapha aereaUnspotted Looper Moth
Archips negundanaLarger Boxelder Leafroller Moth
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth

Show all 33

Dysstroma truncataMarbled Carpet
Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
Heterophleps refusariaThree-Patch Bigwing
Heterophleps triguttariaThree-Spotted Fillip
Hypena edictalisLarge Bomolocha, Large Snout
Hypena humuliHop Snout Moth, Hop Vine Snout, Hop Looper
Hypena sordidulaSordid Bomolocha, Sordid Snout
Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
Melanchra assimilisBlack Arches
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Nymphalis milbertiMilbert's Tortoise Shell, Fire-Rim Tortoise Shell
Orthotaenia undulanaDusky Leafroller
Pandemis lamprosanaWoodgrain Leafroller
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
Polygonia commaEastern Comma
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
Zanclognatha cruralisEarly Zanclognatha, Early Fan-Foot
Herpetogramma aquilonalis

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Urticaceae
Hardiness: Zones 4a–10b
Flower color: Green or white

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3–9 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Fire Effects Information System: Urtica dioica, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Spread · “1–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

European Stinging Nettle; Great Nettle

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

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