Viola Glabella, Stream Violet

Day 193: Viola glabella (Stream Violet) loves the shady, moist ground beneath my big Doug-fir. In fact, it's one of the few things which will grow there, other than a few tough, wiry weeds and the occasional errant yew seedling gone astray from my hedge. I am cheered daily by their bright faces in the early months of spring, and continue to be amused by their oxymoronic name. The thought of "violet" as "yellow" tickles my funny-bone, and yet about half our native Violas bear yellow flowers. Want to tell your violets apart? Get out your hand lens and look for "beards" in the heart of the blossom, and make a note on which petals they occur. Presence or absence of "bee-guide" stripes will give you additional information, as will the shape of the leaf and the serrations along its margins. That said, you may encounter one which doesn't fall within the pages of any field guide presently: Viola pluviae. It is the newest addition to the genus from the Pacific Northwest, having been separated from Viola palustris in 2018. It occurs in Mount Rainier National Park and (thank you very much) it's lavender-blue.