postaldeliveries

Purple DeadNettle

The nicest picture we have taken this week is of Purple Deadnettle. The Deadnettle part refers to its lack of those fine coiled hairs that give normal (The Un-Dead) nettles their antisocial sting. As our Deadnettle has no sting in the head or tail, naturally we eat it. Well, some people eat it. It is rather bitter they say – although I can’t comment on the veracity or otherwise of this. If I remember, I’ll taste a leaf or two and report back.
It’s an early spring plant, spreading out like a dark green and purple carpet, taking advantage of the absence of other contenders for space in amongst the winter-dried leaves and stems of last years growth.
If you were to harvest some and dry it could be very useful in magic. It has a reputation for promoting cheerful vitality and tenacious persistence. With its small bright flowers, appearing in barren patches of roadside verge and hedgerow after the drab sameness of winter, that is certainly well deserved.