Moths & butterflies known to feed on nettle (Urtica dioica):

Species Status Match
Grey chi
Antitype chi
Near Threatened this species
Garden tiger
Arctia caja
Near Threatened this species
The spectacle
Abrostola tripartita
LC this species
Dark spectacle
Abrostola triplasia
LC this species
Golden-bloomed grey longhorn
Agapanthia villosoviridescens
LC this species
Peacock aglais
Aglais io
LC this species
Small tortoiseshell
Aglais urticae
LC this species
Cream-spot tiger
Arctia villica
LC this species
Gold spangle
Autographa bractea
LC this species
Silver y
Autographa gamma
Not assessed this species
Plain golden y
Autographa jota
LC this species
Beautiful golden y
Autographa pulchrina
LC this species
The flame
Axylia putris
LC this species
No common name
Brachypterus glaber
Not assessed this species
No common name
Brachypterus urticae
Not assessed this species
Scarlet tiger
Callimorpha dominula
LC this species
Mottled rustic
Caradrina morpheus
LC this species
Burnished brass
Diachrysia chrysitis
LC this species
Muslin moth
Diaphora mendica
LC this species
Plain clay
Eugnorisma depuncta
LC this species
Jersey tiger
Euplagia quadripunctaria
LC this species
Small angle
Euplexia lucipara
LC any Urtica species
Brown-tail
Euproctis chrysorrhoea
LC this species
Yellow-tail
Euproctis similis
LC any Urtica species
Frosted orange
Gortyna flavago
LC this species
Ghost moth
Hepialus humuli
LC any Urtica species
The snout
Hypena proboscidalis
LC this species
Bright-line brown-eye
Lacanobia oleracea
LC this species
Dot moth
Melanchra persicariae
LC this species
Twin-spot carpet
Mesotype didymata
LC this species
Nettle weevil
Nedyus quadrimaculatus
Not assessed this species
Lesser yellow underwing
Noctua comes
LC this species
Broad-bordered yellow underwing
Noctua fimbriata
LC this species
Hebrew character
Orthosia gothica
LC this species
Wood tiger
Parasemia plantaginis
LC this species
Comma
Polygonia c-album
LC this species
White ermine
Spilosoma lubricipeda
LC this species
Buff ermine
Spilosoma lutea
LC this species
Scarce silver y
Syngrapha interrogationis
LC this species
No common name
Taeniapion urticarium
Not assessed this species
Red admiral
Vanessa atalanta
LC this species
Painted lady
Vanessa cardui
LC this species
Dotted clay
Xestia baja
LC this species
Setaceous hebrew
Xestia c-nigrum
LC this species
Square-spotted clay
Xestia stigmatica
LC this species

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.