The first one was Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana) which is quite easy to spot if you are in grass or woodland as there is plenty of it about in Spring. It is small but the purple flowers show up amongst the grass and it can form quite big clumps (especially at Loch Imrich on the grassy slopes opposite the log house).
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Common Dog-violet |
The leaves are heart shaped with a point at the tip. This helps to distinguish it from the other violet I saw, Marsh Violet (Viola palustris). As the name suggests it grows in wetter places. Its leaves are rounder with no point, and the flower is paler.
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| Marsh Violet - note the rounded leaf |
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| Marsh Violet |
The third viola was Mountain Pansy (Viola lutea). The flowers come in various combinations of yellow and purple.
As it spreads by sending out runners, you can find large patches of exactly the same colour.
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| Mountain Pansy on Golf Course |
It also produces seed which can give rise to new colour combinations.
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