Common Dog Violet - Viola riviniana

Scientific Name: Viola riviniana

English Name: Common Dog Violet

French Name: La Violette de Rivin

5 Key Characters:

• unscented.
• flower spur curved upwards, blunt and notched at the tip.
• flower spur paler than petals.
• flowers violet blue, athough they vary a bit from plant to plant.
• strong purple veins (nectar guides) especially on lower petal.
  

Lookalikes: Sweet Violet V. odorata, which is scented and has darker (or white) flowers with less pronounced nectar guides and spurs which are the same colour as the petals. They are probably equally common in the area.

Habitat: Woods, hedgerows, grasslands, rocks.

Flowering Period: March-April-May and again August-September-October.

Status: Very common.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature: