Birdsfoot Violet - Viola pedata

Viola pedata, or Birdsfoot Violet, is a perennial wildflower native to Michigan and the southern Upper Peninsula. It prefers sandy soils and the dappled shade of jack pines and oaks, but will do full sun and medium to dry soil.
 
Maxing out around 4 inches tall, this plant does not do well with competition, but it is great at filling in difficult bare spots, especially in well-drained sandy or gravelly soils. Does not spread by rhizome and needs some bare soil to reseed.
 
Pairs well with Prairie Smoke and Blue-eyed Grass. Blue-lavender flowers with yellow centers come early, sometimes in April, and may bloom a second time in fall. Violets are the host plant for Fritillary butterflies and important to early-rising native bees.
 
Good for rock gardens, under pines, along paths, and garden borders.