Wildflower Wednesday: Bird’s foot violet
Violets are blooming everywhere right now. I see them in fields and along the edges of forested trails. I even have wild violets growing in my gravel driveway and through the cracks between the bricks in my walkway. One of my favorites though is the bird’s foot violet (Viola pedata) – one of the most distinctive of the Violas. And with its ability to thrive in sandy, gravelly soil, these violets are quite common on Cape Cod.
Unlike most violets that have broad heart-shaped leaves, the leaves of bird’s foot violets are divided into narrow segments. The shape and structure of its flower is also unique. First, while all violets have “irregular” flowers (i.e., their petals are not symmetrical all the way around), I find bird’s foot violets more irregular than most, with the lower petal considerably longer than the upper two, which have a bit of a backwards leaning tendency. And second, the stamens in bird’s foot violets are bright orange and very conspicuous. It may be due to its name, but when I see these one of these flowers with its bright orange “beak” and its divided “bird’s feet” leaves, I can almost imagine an odd-shaped little bird.
What types of violets have you noticed blooming?
3 thoughts on “Wildflower Wednesday: Bird’s foot violet”
Tiny,simply beautiful majestic purpleness. Always a pleasant surprise.
I’m interested in making some variety of violet tea or at the very least freezing violets into ice for a nice touch to a lemonade. Does it matter which wild violet I use ?
While all violet species are edible, it does matter which ones you use. First, of the dozens of native Viola species, I believe there are more of them that are classified as some form of threatened than those that are not. So it’s important that you’re able to identify the species you choose to harvest as a non-listed species. Second, I often see really small patches of violets, sometimes consisting of only a plant or two, while I’m out walking in the woods. I would avoid picking from these, since you don’t want to harm what is already a very small population. Third (and this is just personal preference), pick a purple one – I made an awesome violet syrup last spring and it was the coolest color.
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