Rhode Island State Flower: Common Blue Violet

State Flowers 2 Minutes

The Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) is a perennial wildflower found across much of eastern and central North America. With its heart-shaped leaves and rich purple-blue blooms, it has captured the admiration of gardeners and herbalists alike. Beyond its beauty, Viola sororia plays a valuable role in ecosystems, traditional medicine, and even culinary traditions.

The most recognizable feature of Viola sororia is its striking, five-petaled flowers. They are typically a deep violet-blue, though white, pink, and speckled forms also exist. (Viola sororia f. rubra is the pink form.)

Blue violets bloom abundantly in springtime with flowers that that resemble miniature orchids. There are five dark blue/purple petals and white throats. Blue violet flowers emerge on flower stems separate from the leaves, and are about 1″ across. The blossoms have a delicate and distinctive fragrance.

Common violets are perennial, blooming in the spring/summer and dying back in fall/winter. They propagate mostly by underground runners, but also produce seeds – but not from the purple flowers.

Seeds set in autumn on small green flowers without petals that hide in the foliage (cleistogamous flowers). You won’t damage your patch at all by harvesting the purple flowers. The cleistogamous flowers are self fertile, and produce seeds during the summer, which get ejected from the seed capsules.

The heart shaped leaves curl slightly at the edges, but flatten as they age. The leaves are high on individual stalks rising from the base of the plant. They spread readily once established in a moist, shady area.

Wildlife Uses

The flowers are not popular with pollinators, but are sometimes visited by mason bees and pollinating flies. Fritillary butterfly caterpillars eat the leaves.

Mice and some birds, such as mourning doves, eat the seeds. Deer, rabbits, and livestock will eat the leaves, but it’s not a preferred forage.

Folklore

In Greek mythology, Zeus created a field of violets for a lover he turned into a white heifer to avoid the wrath of Hera. In Roman mythology, Venus beat maidens blue and turned them into violets. Why? Her son, Cupid, said the maidens were more lovely than his mother.

Early Christians said that violets turned downward after the crucifixion, and viewed them as symbols of modesty and humility. Pagan cultures associated them with love and lust.

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Published by pat frederick

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107 thoughts on “Rhode Island State Flower: Common Blue Violet”

  1. Morning All!
    we’ve got about 60* and cloudy–same dreary sky. When we drove to dinner last night we went about an hour from home, the sky was a lovely blue…not here. pale pale blue/gray/white.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Good morning! Humid, cloudy and rainy here – muggy at 72. Hmmm….I wonder if all the trees somehow trap the smoke overhead…..? I was anticipating trying to do some more weed eating today – I charged a 2nd battery for my big week-eater and was hoping it would last long enough to get a good portion of the fence line done. Now that’s out! WM didn’t have any replacement batteries and isn’t even selling that brand of weed eater anymore! Then again, it’s coming into fall so they aren’t stocked up right now. I’ll check @ Menards the next time I go to Norfolk.

      No sign of Wheezer yet but his tuna is waiting…..

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Good Morning Filly!
        I doubt it about the trees–since this entire area is mostly trees–some smaller towns and cities–but mostly trees and farmland. But we headed south–away from Canada…lol…so maybe that’s why.
        our weed eater is an old one–really old…gas powered.
        sigh. Mom had a relatively new battery operated one before her fall a few years ago and i think 2 or 3 battery things in the shed. goodness knows what my brother did with any of that–or who he sold it to. she liked hers because it was light enough for her to use.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Charlotte99
    August 10, 2025 4:29 am

    Corrupt Democrat Rep. Caught Taking Bribes

    In 2013, U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife took a seemingly routine trip to Turkey and Azerbaijan, funded by an obscure Houston-based nonprofit.

    What followed, federal prosecutors now allege, was a years-long scheme involving foreign influence, money laundering, and one of the most serious indictments ever brought against a sitting member of Congress.

    According to a federal indictment unsealed last week, Cuellar and his wife accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company, SOCAR, and Mexico’s Banco Azteca.

    Prosecutors allege that Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, Texas, used his office to advance the interests of these entities in exchange for payments disguised as consulting fees to shell companies owned by his wife.

    The indictment accuses Cuellar of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government—a rare charge previously brought against Sen. Bob Menendez in 2023 for working on behalf of Egypt.

    The Cuellars allegedly funneled money through front companies, spent it on luxury items such as a $12,000 gown and restaurant bills, and concealed the transactions through intermediaries

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/08/corrupt-democrat-rep-caught-taking-bribes/

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Just The News: “President Donald Trump announced Saturday night that he was elevating his chief spokeswoman at the State Department, Tammy Bruce, to the rank of ambassador and sending her to the United Nations.

    Trump said on his Truth Social platform that Bruce will serve as the deputy to UN Ambassador Mike Waltz. “I am pleased to announce that I am nominating Tammy Bruce, a Great Patriot, Television Personality, and Bestselling Author, as our next Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador,” Trump wrote.

    “Since the beginning of my Second Term, Tammy has been serving with distinction as Spokesperson of the State Department, where she did a fantastic job. Tammy Bruce will represent our Country brilliantly at the United Nations,” he added. “Congratulations Tammy!”

    Bruce is a former Fox News personality, radio show host and best-selling author who has handled press communications for Secretary of State Marco Rubio since the beginning of the Trump administration in January.”

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Just The News: “Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, the current U.S. Ambassador to Israel, accused CBS News on Friday of deceptively editing his interview. “Ever wonder how the media edits an interview to give you a different story than the one they had? Here’s @CBSNews interview with me yesterday and the unedited full transcript below. Take time and read,” he posted on X.

    CBS News’ Debora Patta conducted the full interview. Multiple sections of the interview did not make it into the version that was aired, according to analysis from The Daily Wire.

    “You’ve seen the protests, over half of Israelis want the war to end,” Patta said to Huckabee. “I think 100% of the Israelis want the war to end. I would venture to say I couldn’t find somebody in this country that wants it to continue. But I don’t think that there is a consensus as to whether or not the war should end with Hamas getting a victory,” Huckabee said back. 

    “Do you allow these savages who did what they did and continue to do it? … October the seventh wasn’t the only time they ever did something that was absolutely a massacre, the number of deaths that they inflicted would have been the equivalent of 40,000 people in America killed on a single day by a terror organization. I can’t even begin to tell you what would be the reaction in the United States,” he also said.

    Huckabee continued, saying, “So, from the perspective as an American who’s here watching in the middle of this, I can tell you that Americans, if 40,000 of us, would have been slaughtered, massacred, mutilated in front of our families, I don’t think Americans would say: ‘you know, we just want this to be over. We’re just tired of this.’ If the people who did it were going to claim a victory and put a flag up and say: ‘And we’re going to do it again.”

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I didn’t use oxygen last night – when I got up to pee at 3:15, I tested it and it was almost up to 90, which means I don’t need it any more! I have an appointment on the 26th so, if everything remains the same, I will arrange then to have it picked up and removed. Another milestone!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. “Chris Hansen, known for hosting “To Catch a Predator,” was caught cheating on his wife in a hidden-camera sting operation conducted by the National Enquirer. The National Enquirer reported that Hansen was having an affair with a 30-year-old television reporter named Kristyn Caddell. 

    The tabloid claimed to have video footage of Hansen and Caddell entering a hotel together. This affair gained significant media attention due to Hansen’s public image as someone who exposed wrongdoing on “To Catch a Predator.” 

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Charlotte99

    August 10, 2025 8:02 am

    Thomas Mahony, Australian Diplomat at the Australian Embassy in DC arrested for child sexual abuse

    His Japanese wife fled back to Japan with their 2 children

    Thomas Mahony, 42, an Australian national, is accused of abusing two 7-year-old girls and one 8-year-old boy — with all three incidents occurring at his family home during playdates with his children, The Washington Post reported.
    The alleged abuse occurred in separate incidents in November 2023, February 2023, and as recently as July 2025.

    https://nypost.com/2025/08/08/us-news/ex-diplomat-and-world-bank-consultant-arrested-for-sexually-abusing-three-children-under-10-in-dc-report/

    Liked by 1 person

          1. in the beginning he didn’t know hoe long he would need it and even tough he can mange his breathing during the day quite well, he still likes to use it at night. shrug.
            he said it helps him sleep deeper. I asked about buying one…he said maybe we could find a place in Corning that sells them. that was last year…lol

            Liked by 1 person

  21. Aubergine

    Aubergine(@aubergine)

    Offline

    Wolf

    August 10, 2025 09:01

    I think this is a beautiful demonstration of brotherhood and faith:

    https://dailycaller.com/2025/08/09/nfl-stars-end-game-to-pray-together-after-terrifying-injury/

    “The Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons ran out the last 14 minutes of their preseason game Friday praying for Morice Norris after he had to be carted off the field in a stretcher due to a head injury.”

    https://dailycaller.com/2025/08/09/nfl-stars-end-game-to-pray-together-after-terrifying-injury/

    They all just stopped playing, circled up in the middle of the field, and bowed their heads.

    I hope Morice is ok. He certainly got some help from his friends.

    Like

  25. Well, the skies are lightening up a bit but it’s still really humid. Maybe it will dry up enough that I can at least do some weed-eating. I also had an idea that I want to try out to keep the mower engine from cutting out every time I lean forward = BUNGEE!!! If I can pull it tight enough…..😁😊😉

    Liked by 1 person

      1. LOL – it’s my mechanical mind! And my genetic stubborn streak! Sis and I were just talking about that earlier! We inherited that!

        Liked by 1 person

  28. Sun is out and it’s warmed up to 73 – I’m going to go out before it gets too hot and pull some more TX stickers….once I get all of them pulled, I’ll rake the driveway in prep for spraying again with All Kill…..BBL…

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Phew! And 2+ hours later – my back was screaming so I had to stop pulling the TX stickers but I got most of the west end of the driveway done. And then, of course, I remembered that I needed to prune the climbing rose….and oh, my, that Clematis needs to be gotten under control! Ooops – the weeds in the west flower bed and that damned sapling that always comes up right next to the foundation….. And I finally ended it there! My feet were screaming and the flies were driving me crazy. But the west end of my place looks better at least!!! Sun is out, still humid, and up to 80 now.

      Liked by 1 person

        2. And I just checked my O2 level – 95!!! After 2+ hours of work in the sun! I think I’m safe telling the VA I don’t need it any more!

          Liked by 1 person

  31. Liked by 1 person

      1. Sore but not overly so – the only thing swollen on my left leg is my ankle and the right is only about half as swollen as it was before. Just sitting down and putting them up makes a huge difference – not even bad enough to wrap at the moment.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I still want to finish the driveway today, as well as cleaning up the results of pruning the Trumpet vines and willow tree in the front driveway. I’ll put it in the back of my truck and take it to the dump this week – that’s always open and is free for yard debris.

        Liked by 1 person

  39. Just The News: “President Trump announced on Sunday that his news conference on Monday will deal with the “beautification” of the nation’s capital, adding that Washington, D.C. Mayor Murial Bowser has had “many chances” to fix the crime problem.

    “The Press Conference on Crime and ‘Beautification’ will be held tomorrow, at 10:00 A.M. EST, in the Press Briefing Room, and it will not only involve ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation’s Capital, but will also be about Cleanliness and the General Physical Renovation and Condition of our once beautiful and well maintained Capital,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

    “The Mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser, is a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive. The American Public is not going to put up with it any longer,” he added.

    Trump also mentioned the Federal Reserve building renovation that is taking place. “We are not going to allow people to spend $3.1 Billion Dollars on fixing up a building, like the Federal Reserve, which could have been done in a far more elegant and time sensitive manner for $50 to $100 Million Dollars,” he wrote on social media. 

    “The Renovation would have actually been better, and we would have saved $3 Billion Dollars, Traffic Jams, and never-ending Construction,” he added.

    Trump compared his forthcoming plan for D.C. safety to his handling of the border. “Just like I took care of the Border, where you had ZERO Illegals coming across last month, from millions the year before, I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN! Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again,” he wrote.”

    Liked by 1 person

  44. Woa-buddy! That was hot!!! Temp is up to 88 now and I just finished clearing off my front driveway in front of my garage, which is in full sun. First I put all the branches in my truck bed, then used the weed eater on the weeds in the cracks, before sweeping the whole thing. When it’s cooler later, I will mix up some All Kill and spray those weeds.

    Now I am going to wrap at least my right leg…..LOL!

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Yep – I did push it a little this time – with the heat & humidity, I was puffing pretty hard! But my breathing is already back to normal and my legs are nice and cool and not hurting.

        Liked by 1 person

  46. Saturn peeking behind the Moon, seen from the top of the Mauna Kea Volcana, in Hawaii, in September 2024.

    Hmmm….parking might be an issue!

    Sound Room

    Liked by 1 person

  47. “8 Changes Trump Is Making To The 2028 Olympics”

    Sports · Aug 10, 2025 · BabylonBee.com

    Image for article: 8 Changes Trump Is Making To The 2028 Olympics

    “After declaring himself chair of the 2028 Olympic Task Force, President Trump wasted no time in making much-needed alterations to the summer games. Here are eight changes that will be coming when the Olympics heads to Los Angeles:

    1. All gymnastics routines must be performed to one song only, “YMCA”: Obviously.
    2. American athlete uniforms will all be a black suit with red tie: Power move.
    3. Trump will sit on a throne like in Gladiator and give a thumbs up or thumbs down for if the contestant lives or dies: YES.
    4. Javelins will now be thrown towards a picture of Jerome Powell: Contestants may also choose Mike Pence.
    5. There will be a new “Best President” competition which is worth 100 gold medals: U-S-A!
    6. Wrestlers will now be allowed to use metal folding chairs: Let’s gooooo.
    7. Last-place athletes from other countries will be instantly deported by ICE: We do not tolerate losers in America.
    8. Rhythmic gymnasts must spend at least fifty percent of their performance doing the Trump Dance: The ratings will be off the charts.

    Trump has done it once more, making the Olympics great again. Let us know any other changes you want to see.”

    Liked by 1 person

  48. “In 2024, the U.S. spent nearly $1 trillion on its defense budget, equal to 3.4% of GDP. In contrast, NATO members in Europe and Canada spent an average of 2% of GDP on defense. While NATO’s defense budgets have declined since the Cold War, Russia’s military spending has surged by 227% since 2000, and China’s has skyrocketed by 566%. 

    This graphic shows the top 15 largest defense budgets in 2024, based on data from the International Institute of Strategic Studies. Today, just five prime contractors receive 86% of the Pentagon’s spending compared to 51 contractors being allocated 6% of defense spending at the end of the Cold War. Arguably, this concentration has fostered overspending and lower productivity gains.

    In an era of all things new, the Trump administration has fired senior leaders in the military, navy, coast guard, and air force. Senior lawyers were abruptly let go too. Overall, the Pentagon could shed 8% of its personnel.

    Ranking in second is China, with a $235 billion defense budget. Yet on a purchasing power parity basis, it stands at $477 billion when adjusting for lower costs in China. Overall, the country’s military modernization includes 600 operational nuclear warheads that are projected to reach 1,000 by 2030 as the country increasingly focuses on reunification with Taiwan.

    Russia has the third-largest defense budget globally, at $146 billion, representing 6% of the country’s national income—the highest share since the Cold War. Like China, this figure is much higher in real purchasing power terms, rising to $461 billion. Today, Russia’s nuclear arsenal rivals the U.S. with 5,000 warheads, despite being a medium-sized economy.”

    Liked by 1 person

  49. “Yes, the definition of happiness has indeed changed throughout history and continues to evolve. It is not a fixed concept, but rather one that is influenced by individual experiences, cultural context, and even age. Younger people often associate happiness with excitement and future-oriented experiences, while older individuals tend to find it in peacefulness and present-moment enjoyment. Furthermore, historical perspectives show that happiness has shifted from being a communal endeavor tied to justice and flourishing to a more individualistic and fleeting experience. 

    Historically, happiness was often viewed as a matter of good fortune or external circumstances beyond an individual’s control. Over time, the focus shifted towards viewing happiness as an internal state, something that can be cultivated and pursued. 

    In ancient Greece, happiness (eudaimonia) was seen as a result of living a virtuous life within a thriving community. Today, happiness is often framed as a personal pursuit, with individuals seeking their own sense of well-being. 

    There’s a distinction between seeking fleeting pleasures (hedonism) and finding deeper, more meaningful fulfillment (eudaimonia). While both are forms of happiness, the emphasis has shifted towards the latter as individuals age and seek more lasting sources of joy. 

    Different cultures have varying perspectives on happiness, with some prioritizing emotional expression and others valuing stoicism. Furthermore, individuals’ perceptions of happiness evolve as they experience different life stages, with younger people often prioritizing excitement and older people valuing peacefulness and contentment.”

    Liked by 1 person

  50. (Video)

    “Canada just banned HIKING. $25,000 fine. You can’t make this up. Looking back, did you originally doubt the necessity of the Canadian Trucker Convoy Protest?! Now you see why they were right to be worried.

    Super Spreader, Aug 10, 2025

    (Video)

    “Nova Scotia just made it illegal to be in the woods, like a $25k fine for HIKING!!! And the people are like “yep seems reasonable.” lmao I live in Canada and still can’t believe this is a real country”

    (2 Videoa)

    “Effective 4pm today we are telling Nova Scotians, stay out of the woods.”

    But, ALL of Nova Scotia IS WOODS! That would be like telling New York City residents to “stay out of the city.” Or telling fish to stay out of the ocean.

    → It really is The Hunger Games.

    I thought this story was a Babylon Bee satire story, but, NOPE, it’s real. Canada is in a sad state. Considering Canada’s demonic enthusiasm lately for promoting M.A.i.D. (Medical Assistance in Dying), I wonder if they would allow you to go hiking if you were planning to jump off a cliff?

    Fortunately $25,000 CAN is only $12 USD, so the fine isn’t bad. (Sarcasm)

    I hope Canadians organize in mass protest to go hiking in groups of 10,000+ people to send a message that this type of nonsense is completely unacceptable.

    They need a new HIKER CONVOY that rivals the original trucker convoy.

    WTF is wrong with Canada? They must be putting some nasty drugs in their water or something. Send prayers their way that they can remove these lunatics from all positions of authority.”

    All the best,

    -SuperSpreader

    https://mole.substack.com/p/canada-just-banned-hiking-25000-fine

    Liked by 1 person

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