Violets are popping up all over now, but I was pleased to see both white and purple ones in the cemetery today, but I have found them all over recently including the Dead Wood, Weelsby Woods and our garden. I was asked the question by our next door neighbour whether white violets are a separate species or just a different form. Not having an immediate answer I checked in my field guide and, as far as I can tell, white ones are a form of sweet violet, our only fragrant violet, and, like the purple form, have slightly hairy stems and blunt sepals. The purple ones that I have been finding, I think, are the common dog violet with hairless stems, pointed sepals and no scent.
I find the white ones particularly difficult to photograph as they are small and therefore require the use of the macro lens. The lower outside petals have a tendency to curve forward and as at very close range the lens has a narrow depth of field it is difficult to get the flower sharp throughout and also eave a plain out of focus background. I have tried both focus stacking and using a very small aperture, neither of which I have been totally happy with.
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