Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants
A comprehensive database of Tennessee native plants
Common Blue Violet
Common Blue VioletViola sororia (Viola papilionacea)Full sun to part shade, moderately wet to moderately dry moisture level, prefers rich but tolerates most soils except rocky, slightly acid to slightly alkaline pH. 6-8 inches height, blooms spring into summer, purple flowers, self-seeds freely.Germination Code: C(60) or M, DNative Region: StatewideEasy-to-grow plant that can be weedy. Blossoms make good candy, jam, jelly, syrup and wine. Edible leaves are high in Vitamin A and C. Leaves are larval food for Fritillary butterflies. Attracts butterflies and birds.flower;sun;wet;clay |
 Photo Courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery http://www.prairiemoon.com/  Photo Courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery http://www.prairiemoon.com/ |
Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants 
Although the Common Blue Violet can be a bit of a pest in the yard, understanding the connection between this plant and the beautiful Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly has really given me a new appreciation of the common violet. Now when I see violets nearly everywhere in the yard, I am glad. Caterpillars of this butterfly eat only violet leaves. Without violets, there would be no Great Spangled Fritillaries. Their story is pretty darned interesting too. The females lay their eggs in late summer or fall near but not on the violet plants. Sometimes the violets have already dried up and disappeared, and scientists think maybe the butterfly finds the right location from the smell of the roots. The caterpillar hatches in late fall and immediately hides in the leaf litter without eating a single bite of food. It stays dormant all winter and only awakens at the same time as the violets begin to grow in spring. However, the caterpillars are very shy and only feed at night. So you could have loads of caterpillars on your violets but it is very unlikely that you will ever see them (unless maybe you are crawling out there at night with a flashlight). So keep at least some of those violets, and leave the leaf litter and wood chips around your violets for the winter which will help the next generation survive to spring..