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)
These came as hitchhikers with my violets and beauty berry. They’re wood poppies. The sap is a yellow latex that stains! They are wild and native to eastern and midwest North America.
Wood Poppy, Celandine Popppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
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 dark purple violets have withered, but new kinds are opening! This white violet has none of the blue smudge of the other white violets I have. I hope I’ve identified it correctly:
Small White Violet (Viola macloskeyi)
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)
Today’s find was right outside the back door—a drift of white violets have bloomed on the edge of the woods. There are a lot of violet varieties … it appears that this is Common Blue Violet which is a variable species that can occur as white or partly white. They are native.
Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)