Downy Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens)
Downy Yellow Violet flowers attract a variety of native bees, small butterflies, and skippers (illinoiswildflower.info). It is the host plant to the Great Spangled Fritillary (almost all of the Fritillaries) and 31 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org), including the possibly extirpated Regal fritillary (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). It is also the host plant to the specialist bee Andrena violae (Johnson and Colla, 2023). Ants spread the plants to new areas because of their seed’s oily appendages and a variety of birds will eat their seeds as well, so in the right environment, it can do some spreading.
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer-1, John Blair-2
Downy Yellow Violet flowers attract a variety of native bees, small butterflies, and skippers (illinoiswildflower.info). It is the host plant to the Great Spangled Fritillary (almost all of the Fritillaries) and 31 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org), including the possibly extirpated Regal fritillary (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). It is also the host plant to the specialist bee Andrena violae (Johnson and Colla, 2023). Ants spread the plants to new areas because of their seed’s oily appendages and a variety of birds will eat their seeds as well, so in the right environment, it can do some spreading.
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer-1, John Blair-2
Downy Yellow Violet flowers attract a variety of native bees, small butterflies, and skippers (illinoiswildflower.info). It is the host plant to the Great Spangled Fritillary (almost all of the Fritillaries) and 31 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org), including the possibly extirpated Regal fritillary (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). It is also the host plant to the specialist bee Andrena violae (Johnson and Colla, 2023). Ants spread the plants to new areas because of their seed’s oily appendages and a variety of birds will eat their seeds as well, so in the right environment, it can do some spreading.
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer-1, John Blair-2
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Partial-Light Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium/wet—Med/dry
Height: 4-12 inches
Plant Spacing:
Bloom Time: April-June
Bloom Color: Yellow
Advantages: Caterpillar Favorite, Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant
Host: Great Spangled Fritillary (almost all of the Fritillaries) and 31 other species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org)
Specialist Bee: Andrena violae (Johnson and Colla, 2023)
Beneficial for Endangered or Threatened Species: Regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)
Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023
