Viola Glabella

Day 176: Viola glabella. Now there's a contradiction of terms! Translated from their Latin origins, the two parts of the name mean "yellow" and "violet" as in the colours, but then the Romans never made it to the Pacific Northwest where the majority of our "violets" are indeed yellow. One assumes those in Italy at the time were of a pale purple hue. But you've heard me rant on this subject before. Instead, let's just enjoy this sunny little harbinger of spring whose yellow faces we find smiling in the moist, shady nooks of our forests and gardens, cheerful even in the rain.