Rainier Violet (Viola trinervata)

Rainier violet is also known as desert pansy or sagebrush violet. It grows in sagebrush and open rocky hillsides where the ground is moist in the spring, but arid most the summer. It is common in its relatively small range east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon. The bicolored flower and thick leathery leaves are uncommon among wild violets. Photo from near Ellensburg, Washington. April 2000