Nature Table: Violets

Most people can tell a violet when they see one but there are seven Irish native species and telling them apart is difficult. Many of them hybridise with each other.

The earliest to flower in the spring is usually the sweet violet, which blooms from February to May, mostly on lime-rich soils, and is the only species with a strong fragrance. The flowers can be white as well as the more normal violet colour. This is followed by the early dog violet in March and the common dog violet in April. As the name suggests, this is our commonest violet species and is widespread in woodlands and on grassy hedge banks.

It has no scent but the small, five-petalled flowers are exquisite, particularly if examined through a magnifying glass. The dark green, heart-shaped leaves are on long stalks and the whole plant has a tendency to sprawl. It’s the food plant for the caterpillars of the dark green fritillary butterfly.