Appalachian Azure and Meadow Fritillary

The forest is alive with azure butterflies, probably Appalachian azures. Their flight is erratic and rapid so I haven't been able to capture one with my camera as yet. Gary went on a jeep run with the Blue Ridge Mountain Jeepers and he said the forest was full of these small blue butterflies.

The Appalachian azure catapillar feeds only on black cohosh leaves.

In the clearings the meadow fritillary has appeared infrequently. I saw one in my flower garden twice this week but alas my camera was in the house and when I went to retrieve it the orange beauty was gone. So I have borrowed the above images from the net to show you.

The host plant for the fritillary is the violet. Remember last year when I showed you the violets growing here and how to make violet jelly? The image above I took last year. Now whenever I see the violets at the corner of our road I'll think of the meadow fritillary soon to appear. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Wild Violets Sweet Violets

When I was a child I dug up a small plant with purple flowers and brought it home. That plant was a wild violet, Viola odorata, sometimes called sweet violet. I didn't know the plant would multiply. By the end of the summer every windowsill in our home was filled with wild violet plants. My mother started giving violet plants to everyone she knew.

Yesterday I noticed the corner to our road is covered with wild violets. I ran out to take a photo to show you because we are expecting a bit of a cold snap. While I was researching information about the wild violet I found a blog post here about wild violet syrup. Since the plant is hardy and spreads easily I may harvest a bunch of the flowers and make some wild violet syrup. I hope the flowers last through the cold tonight.

source

The Violet
BY JANE TAYLOR

Down in a green and shady bed,

   A modest violet grew,

Its stalk was bent, it hung its head,

   As if to hide from view.

And yet it was a lovely flower,

   Its colours bright and fair;

It might have graced a rosy bower,

   Instead of hiding there,

Yet there it was content to bloom,

   In modest tints arrayed;

And there diffused its sweet perfume,

   Within the silent shade.

Then let me to the valley go,

   This pretty flower to see;

That I may also learn to grow

   In sweet humility.

While I was taking photos of the flowers I noticed leaves which looked like strawberry leaves and leaves of a bulb type of plant. I'll have to take a walk there often and keep my eyes open. If you have time look closely underfoot and at every turn, you never know what you may find. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

UPDATE - THINK THIS IS VIOLA TRILOBA