Flower

Violet "Silver Gem"

What's the location?

North East Georgia

Adorable! You can't know it's invasive if you don't know what it is. Could just be a thriving native.

Viola villosa? Native not invasive. this is a nice looking violet. I think it's the Common Blue violet, Viola sororia, that some people consider weedy, but it's also native and thus can't be invasive.

My response dissapeared. I accidentally found what I think I have--Prostrate violet, Walter's Violet, Viola Walteri. The silver Gem violet is a form of prostrate violet. They are native to our area. Now I am going to start digging/potting them up so they can live where I want them.

The regular more green V. walteri does grow in your area. Silver Gem was a more silver colored selection found in Bibb County AL. Mount Cuba Center grew it and introduced it. Viola walter has 4 ways of spreading. It has regular seeds, cleistogamous seeds, spreading rhizomes and runners.

I read about the cleistogamous seeds and that led to reading about ants. One way Violet seeds are dispersed is by ants. That explains why they are in patches in the lawn with usually a mature colony in the center. The ants also carry the bloodroot seeds all over my back shade garden, I have bloodroot popping up 10 or more feet away from the original colony. Nature is fascinating.