Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
Height, Spread: 6-10 in, 1-3 ft
Water/Soil: Moist-occasionally wet, well-drained, clay, loam, sand, high organic matter
Light: Full sun-deep shade
Bloom: Spring-summer, blue, purple, pink or white flowers
Native Range: Eastern & Central North America
Qualities: Attractive to pollinators, Host plant, Wildlife resource, Deer resistant
Notes: Clumping annual that spreads by rhizomes and seeds. Commonly found in woods or alongside streams in NC. It supports three species of specialized native bees (Andrena fragilis, Andrena integra, and Andrena platyparia) and is a host plant for several Greater and Lesser Fritillaries (genuses Speyeria & Bolloria). Seeds provide food for birds and small mammals. Best planted in open woodland gardens where it can readily spread. It is unpalatable to deer but rabbits love it.
