I agree with the comments below. They're native, beautiful and help support our wildlife. They are the host plant for fritillary butterflies and their leaves are sustenance for other wildlife. In a lawn with clover, they stay both green when the turf grass can't handle the hot, dry times of summer. If we can't reduce our lawns, we should look for ways to make it more sustainable. Please leave the violets.
You crack me up! "I shouldn't have shoved a weapon at the camera!" Thanks for the info. I used to battle these violets, but have decided (after finding out they were nativ and not weeds) to embrace them. There's a huge mound of them at the base of my now-dead Japanese Maple, and it's just beautiful in the early spring.
And from last year two of my local longtime successful businesses, a bakery & restaurant after the successfulness of our trial tests want me to grow the annual violas, all summer long bloming form of edible violets for a new profit edible, highly nutrient-rich product ;)
