With the cold and crazy weather Kansas has been experiencing, I’m not sure if the wild dog tooth violets are blooming yet but usually between March 20 and April 10, the Old Stone Church Cemetery will just have millions of dog tooth violets in bloom. They are not as large as the variety pictured but it is the same flower. We used to call them wild Easter Lillys because there were usually in bloom near Easter.

When I was growing up at Maple Hill, my grandmothers, Mabel R (Jones) Clark and Mildred (McCauley) Corbin-Clark would walk from town to the cemetery on a nice spring Sunday afternoon. We would pick dog tooth violets and my grandmothers would weave the stems together into necklaces. We would also bring some home which they would put into Bibles and press them flat to be included in Easter Cards.

My Grandmother Clark’s yard in Maple Hill was just a carpet of purple prairie violets a little later. She would pick them and press tightly into a quart jar. Only the blossoms were used. Then she would pour boiling water over the violets and let it sit over night. The next day, she would pour off the liquid which would have a beautiful violet color. She would then use the liquid to make violet jelly which she gave to friends in little glasses on special occasion. I think the little glasses had previously had pimento cheese spread in them.

What fun spring memories to have of the good old days in Maple Hill. Does anyone still pick the wild Easter Lillys at the cemetery or make violet jelly???