Common Blue Violets

This "shrinking" violet is acting shy, trying to hide behind a couple of blades of grass in my sunny side lawn. ;-)

But don't be fooled. This innocent-looking blossom (less than an inch across) is trying to take over! But it's OK, as long as it stays OUT of my gardens!

Common blue violets (Viola papilionacea). are among the first plants to bloom in spring. Now, how could anyone NOT be impressed by that?

As a gardener, I think I’m supposed to hate them because they're invasive. But I don't. After all, blue violets are symbols of love and faithfulness. In fact, florist shops at one time sold tons of violets on Valentines Day. So what is there to hate?

And for you trivia buffs: the blooms you see here are actually sterile.

The problem are the inconspicuous flowers no one notices later in the season, which are self pollinating and open when their tiny, round, black seeds are ready to drop. Violets also multiply through underground rhizomes. So, yes, I do sometimes have to kick a few out my gardens. But that's not a difficult task.
But they can multiply all they want in my lawn. This is a patch in my shady back lawn.