Since it's now Autumn, we see something else in the photo, as well: Nettle seed-heads, clusters of seeds, and they're spiky, too. The stalks are laden with them. A trad use for these was to soak the seeds in warm water for at least 20 minutes, then strain, and use that water as a hair rinse after shampooing, to encourage hair growth and thickness.
I tend to have my closest encounters with Stinging Nettle (Urtica) in the Spring, when it's waking up and full of spiky mischief. It's planted next to the back gate as a Ward, and is very effective - no trespassers! But Nettle's also inclined to reach out for anyone who comes in past it, like a cat who can't resist brushing up against you. Ouch-ouch-ouch!
Nettle is one of the great multi-purpose plants. The dried leaves make a fine nutritious tea, and the leaves make an excellent spring-time soup. Folk wisdom says: Cut the stalks and let them rest and wilt for a few hours - the spikes will fall off and you can handle it better. That said, when I've done this, the spikes stayed on, at least some of them, and my hands got stung like mad as I stripped the leaves from the stalks for soup. Oh, well... The up-side was that I was pain-free for the next couple of days. Nettle is reputed to work on arthritis, which I never thought I had...until I was pain-free. For eating, use young springtime leaves only - the older, late-season leaves can be toxic.
Early fragments of woven material - late Bronze Age, Denmark - have been found to be Nettle. Those long, strong stalks can be treated in the same (labor-intensive) manner as linen or hemp to convert them to fiber for sewing, weaving, and whatever.
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