Roses are red. Violets are blue. But sometimes they can be yellow, too. Or even white. Roughly 20 species of violets grow in Illinois, and many have heart-shaped leaves with five petals on blooms ...

The other day, I was photographing a large clump of common blue violets on a neighbor’s lawn when she remarked that they were pretty, but “mostly weeds.” I said I know that violets can be banes of ...

Ultraviolet vision evolved at least eight times in birds from a common violet sensitive ancestor finds a new study. All of these are due to single nucleotide changes in the DNA. Ultraviolet vision ...

Violets mean spring, at least for the botanically inclined. Chances are your yard is dotted with jots of purple. The color is courtesy of the common blue violet (Viola sororia). It’s a hardy native, ...

Small violets herald the arrival of spring throughout Virginia. There are more than 70 species of the native purple, blue, yellow or white flowers in North America. But there is more to violets than ...