Is this wildflower deadnettle? And therefore safe?

[Liung]

Letting my buns enjoy the beautiful spring day in the (thoroughly rabbit-proofed) backyard

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And there's a new plant growing. They're not at all interested in it, but I've been trying to identify it just in case.

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I think it's purple deadnettle, which as part of the mint family is 100% safe... But a) none of the pictures I've found have the white stripes these do, and b) deadnettle isn't native to North America.

I live in Southern Ontario, on the Great Lakes, if that helps.

Thoughts?

 

[stevesmum]

I think that's what it is, maybe the spotted variety? We have that in our backyard, and if that's what it is, you will soon have it everywhere lol. It spreads like a weed!

 

[Liung]

It's those stripes on the leaves that worry me. Because bold patterns IN nature mean something, right? If it's evolved to be easily noticed (and in this case with the white stripe, recognizable without colour vision), it's not worried about being tasty.

Though in flowers that something is more usually "HEY BEES OVER HERE LOOKIT THE YUMMY NECTAR!!"

 

[Liung]

Though speaking of spreading like a weed, I have strawberry plants growing absolutely everywhere in my backyard. I recognize the leaves, and they're also flowering right now so there's no doubt. And I know those are safe!!

I'm just super surprised the strawberries beat out the weeds and such. Perhaps because they're low to the ground, and escape the lawnmower.

 

[stevesmum]

I guess I wouldn't let them eat it, better safe than sorry. We have a koi pond and an area where we dump unwanted soil and plant matter to build it up into a flower bed, and that dead nettle has really spread around those areas. It's pretty and resilient so we leave it be, but every year there's more. My strawberries however, don't come back in droves, so you're lucky. Every year I have to buy a couple new strawberry plants.