Urtica dioica grows abundantly in northern Europe and most of Asia; generally it prefers the fields. It is less common in southern Europe and in North Africa, where it is more limited due to its need for water.
In North America it is widely distributed in Canada and the United States, where it is found in every province and state; Hawaii is the exception but not the north of Mexico. It grows abundantly in the Pacific Northwest, especially in places where annual rainfall is abundant. The European subspecies was introduced in North America and South America.
In Europe, the presence of nettles near a structure may indicate the abandonment of a building by people, as these sites grow abundantly, even if they are generally eradicated for their poisonous power. Nettles therefore have a strong association with human homes; it is possible that this correlation is attributable to the fertility of human and animal waste, which contains high levels of phosphate and nitrogen.
Nettles are very important plants for the balance of fauna. They are a unique food source for some butterfly larvae, such as the Peacock and the Little Tortoiseshell; also the larvae of some Lepidoptera such as the Shades, the Buff Ermine, the Dot Moth, the Flame, the Gothic etc. are also fed there. The roots are often eaten by the larva of the Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli moth.
Nettle is an undergrowth plant that loves damp environments, but is also found abundantly in meadows and on the banks of water courses. Despite its nutritional content, nettle is not very popular with wildlife or livestock, presumably due to its pungent effect. It spreads thanks to the very abundant seeds, due to the rhizomes, and is able to survive / recover quickly even after fires.
The nettle macerate is quite used also in agriculture as an organic fertilizer, due to its abundant nitrogen and mineral salts content.
Being rich in vitamins, if finely chopped (green fodder), nettle is particularly useful in feeding all young poultry, including ducklings, geese and especially poultry.
