Yellow Montane Violet (Viola praemorsa) study with @staedtler art pencils on Chartreuse card stock. (15cm x 15cm)
Montane Violets are listed as endangered in British Columbia by the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA).
“The range of the Yellow Montane Violet extends from Vancouver Island to California, chiefly west of the Cascade Mountains. In British Columbia, the praemorsa subspecies of the Yellow Montane Violet is found only along the southeastern coast of Vancouver Island and on adjacent islands in the Strait of Georgia. There are 14 extant populations in Canada and, based on recent data, there were between 32 000 and 49 000 flowering plants in British Columbia in 2007, with about 80 to 90% of the Canadian population of the praemorsa subspecies of the Yelllow Montane Violet concentrated in two populations. The number of populations has been in slow decline; five have disappeared, but none have been lost since the late 1990s. In British Columbia, the praemorsa subspecies of the Yellow Montane Violet occurs in Garry oak woodlands and maritime meadows. Most microhabitats occupied by the praemorsa subspecies of the Yellow Montane Violet have shallow soils over bedrock, little or no shrub cover, and an abundant cover of herbaceous species. These habitats are on relatively level ground or on south-facing slopes. The praemorsa subspecies of the Yellow Montane Violet is shade-intolerant. The amount of potential habitat has decreased greatly over the past century as coastal areas in southeastern Vancouver Island have been developed for residential and recreational use. Most of the remaining habitat has been heavily altered by the invasion of exotic grasses and shrubs.”
COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Yellow Montane Violet, praemorsa subspecies, Viola praemorsa ssp. praemorsa, in Canada (2008-08-28).
Home to a private collector in Lloyminster, Alberta.