Another variety of violet emerges in my yard. I love their colors and their beautiful faces. The history here is that I got this from Dr. Whiteside’s garden in Illinois, who got it from his botany teacher who discovered it by a golf course in Rock Island, Illinois.
Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
Another violet has appeared. Great shape and pattern. I don’t know if it occurs wild like this or is a hybrid…
Freckles violet (Viola sororia)
The Redbuds are having a very good year, looking full and gorgeous. They’re native to eastern North America, but apparently not quite this far north, which explains why I haven’t seen them in the woods here but I know where you can find them wild in Illinois…
Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Another tiny stunner from Dr. Whiteside’s garden, now mine. I’ve never seen any others like it.
“Blogs were the new black two years ago. Now everyone has one. They aren’t particularly fashionable, but you can’t live without them. Blogs are the new sweat pants.” – Jenny Lawson
I was so pleased to spot this in my yard. Count it as wild but not local. They’re native to the west. The bulbs and roots make palatable food. But mainly, just look at them!
Checker Lily, Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis)
This has to go in the category of wild but not local. (It’s one of my carry-on violets from Dr. Whiteside.) He said it was collected growing wild near his high school in Coal City, Illinois. I presume it’s a variety of blue violet, because it has that sort of leaf, but I’m not sure.
These violets aren’t strictly local, because while they’re in my yard, they were a gift last April from Wesley Whiteside, gardener extraordinaire from my hometown of Charleston, Illinois. I complimented him on how many varieties of violets he had blooming, and he offered to give me samples. I told him that was very kind but I was flying back. He said not to worry, they would be fine in a plastic bag for awhile. Soon I was amazing the security people at the little Champaign airport with my nine varieties of carry-on violets.
Right now, only the deep purple one is open. (Native.)
Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
Let me diverge from my usual local focus for a moment, to say that I spent last week in Arizona, and the flora is mind-blowingly different! Behold these lavender prickly pears!
Today we found one new wildflower blooming, at Elm Bank. It’s like a tiny orchid that you never notice til you are down on your hands and knees trying to focus your camera on it. This plant is introduced and invasive. It belongs to the Mint family.
Creeping Charlie, Ground Ivy, Gill-over the ground, Haymaids (Glechoma)
The first wildflowers I’ve seen this spring are Skunk Cabbage! The purple hood (spathe) is the flower, which appears before the leaves, and inside it is the reproductive part (spadix). The odor attracts flies, which pollinate the flowers.
We also heard wood frogs—they sound like ducks quacking. (We heard the first spring peepers of the season earlier this week, March 12.)
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus Foetidus). Ridge Hill Reservation, Needham MA.
Audio of peepers and wood frogs: http://www.mister-toad.com/frogcalls.html