I spotted the first violet of 2025 a few days ago. It was a white violet, and it was standing several inches tall, which was impressive given that most of the other violet plants are barely out of the ground. I almost missed it though, because it was right up against the foundation wall, and its light color blended in with the light gray concrete.
This is not the first time that I’ve found the first violet of the season growing against one of our foundation walls. My theory is that the sun heats up the concrete, which makes that area warmer for longer. This either convinces the flower that the spring is more advanced or it provides an advantage for growing, or both.