The violets parade has begun! These were the first I saw, a drift of white violets 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 as in this case, white smudged with lavender. They are native.
Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
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)