Beaked Violet (Viola rostrata) is an April blooming wildflower in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. See the beak? It’s an exaggerated protrusion from the flower’s lower petal. There are many varieties of violets in the Smokies, but this one is unique because of the beak. It is also called Longspurred Violet.
Like all violets, this one likes moist woods, roadsides and trailsides. It is not common in the Smokies, but should be easy to find on the Porters Creek Trail or the Chestnut Top Trail in late March and early April. The photo below was taken along the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier area of the Smoky Mountains.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.