Bird's Foot Violets

Environmental & Science Education
STEM
Nature
Biodiversity
Edward Hessler

This photograph slipped right by me but it is never too late to post a photograph of a plant. This one is sometimes referred to as the queen of the violets.

Bird's-foot violets (Viola pedata)have a wide distribution in the eastern United States, including Minnesota. The UBC Botanical Garden's Botany Photo of the Day recently showed one of its color morphs and links to the other.  The first is lilac colored, the second's upper two petals are colored a deep purple with the other three retaining their lovely lilac hue.

If this flower is new to you I hope you can get to meet it in person someday. The photographs will tell you why the name is apt as well as why it is referred to by many as the regal head of violets. Here is a plant biography for bird's foot violets from The Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Inc. (Eloise Butler Garden and Bird Sanctuary in Minneapolis.)