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Burning Nettle

Urtica urens

Found in disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

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

Profile 6%

At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

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

County records are not available.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

32CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Urtica

  • Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
  • Vanessa atalantaRed Admiral
  • Abrostola ovalisWhite-Shouldered Nettle Moth
  • Acronicta impressaImpressive Dagger, Printed Dagger
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Agonopterix pulvipennellaGoldenrod Leaffolder, Featherduster Agonopterix
  • Allagrapha aereaUnspotted Looper Moth
  • Autographa bimaculataTwo-Spotted Looper Moth
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Dysstroma truncataMarbled Carpet
Show all 32
  • 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

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

Conservation status

West Virginia rankSNA
Global rankNot available
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources