Grasp the nettle!

Grow nettles to attract butterflies and caterpillars, says Val

- Val Bourne

I CAN’T believe there’s an R in the month already and that we’re into autumn. However, once the nights become chilly, I will be comforted by memories of this year’s wonderful lockdown spring and some super summer days full of butterflies and bees. The small tortoiseshells – the males and females of which look the same – were everywhere in June, flashing their blue, orange and black wings as they visited flowers in the garden.

The small tortoiseshell is one of my favourite butterflies and you’re likely to see it throughout Britain, in town and country, because it relies on an abundantly common food plant. Like many Latin butterfly names, Aglais urticae provides a clue as to what the small tortoiseshell caterpillars feed on. They feed on nettles, including the common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and the small nettle (Urtica urens). The common hop (Humulus lupulus) is also used as a food source on occasions.