Day 195: I'm confused. Of the 18+ species of Violet native to the Pacific Northwest, a full third are yellow. The remainder are divided between white and blue almost equally. In hexadecimal notation, "violet" is #7F00FF (ribbon background). According to my box of crayons, it's a purple somewhat darker and slightly rosier than that defined by the hex triplet. Streamside Violet (Viola glabella, above) isn't even close with its rich canary shade. Surely there is some logic behind the common appellation of these adorable wildflowers, but would it not have been simpler to refer to them as "violas" rather than anglicizing their scientific name to one so radically different from their nature? No one could confuse them with the musical instrument of the same name and, if one was called upon to justify the term, the shape of the bottom petal and its "bee-guide" stripes bears some resemblance to a viola (stringed). I find this kink in the English language quite distressing, and until someone sorts it out, I will be describing the Goldfinch's brilliant summer feathers as violet in hue.
