It may be just me and the way I use my camera but I always feel that it never does anything coloured purple justice! This early dog-violet looks decidedly blue and not its true deep violet colouring.
The early dog-violet certainly comes out early in the year being in flower in March and is a few weeks ahead of its close cousin, the common dog-violet which is more prevalent in April and May and it really that timing that I base my observations on as I find them exceedingly difficult to tell apart.
The 'early' has a narrower flower than the 'common' and the 'early' has a darker centre with 'common' being yellowish in the centre. The 'common' has a cream coloured spur behind the main flower but it is blue in the 'early'.
Both species grow in open woodland, on hedge banks and verges; the 'early' preferring shade whereas the 'common' can be found in more open areas and can occur on pasture and grassland too. The shady preference for the 'early' also accounts for its other common name, the wood dog-violet.
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