March 25 - Dutchmen's Breeches, Common Blue Violet

Another beautiful warm day! Going to be in the 80's again today.

The blue/purple mystery lilies I saw on March 19 are now much sparser. How quickly they faded!

March 19

March 25

   

Today I saw some Dutchmen's Breeches. This is another forest wildflower which blooms early so it can get some sunshine, before tree leaves are fully developed. Only spring bumblebees with a very long probiscus can sip nectar from this flower, although some insects "cheat" by chewing a hole in them.

Dutchman's Breeches

In case you're wondering why these are called "Dutchmen's Breeches," here's a picture of real Dutchmen's breeches!

I also saw a few Common Blue Violets. They are related to pansies and look like pansies from a distance. The flowers may vary in color but they all have heart-shaped leaves.  The leaves are high in vitamins and you can eat them! Some people use them in salads or as cooked greens! BTW, the fly on this flower is very small indeed.

Common Blue Violet

If you're feeling angry about something, eat a violet leaf! Or at least, that's what the Greeks did to moderate anger. Romans drank violet leaves in a wine. Violets were also the favorite flower of Napolean, and when he died he was wearing a lock of violets from Josephine's grave.

There's a ton of other info and uses for blue violet leaves. You can read about them here: http://www.herbalextractsplus.com/blue-violet-leaf.cfm