White with a yellow throat makes me think of V. canadensis, but yours is too big and early, amongst other things. A photo of flower and leaves really would be useful...

Mike,

it is not V. canadensis.

The flower is smaller than my thumbnail and the tiny foliage is a medium green.

RD

RD,

All the white violets of Tennessee have purple veining on the lower 3 petals; the small foliage may be a function of it being early in the season. The yellow throat is a problem... All the North American violets with yellow-throated flowers (apart from V. canadensis which we have now dismissed) are more western in distribution; eg. Vv. ocellata, cuneata and scopulorum. Some photos and/or description and measurements of flowers, leaves and stems might help; it would also be useful to know if the lateral petals are bearded or not (towards the throat); and is there any scent?

I don't suppose by "yellow throat" you are referring to the connective rather than the petals? Clutching at straws...

Do any of the photos at the link help?
Have a look at V. bicolor especially, though it is a pansy rather than a violet. V. mackloskeyi and its subspecies pallens occur in Tennessee, but (like I said) they do not have a yellow throat.

I should point out that I have grown only a few of these violets, so in saying they do not have yellow throats, I am going largely on the literature.

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Viola gallery at USDA Plants Database

RD,
Your tiny violet sounds to me like it could be V. kitaibeliana, a.k.a. "Field Pansy" according to Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. I saw this tiny little thing blooming prolifically at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Dyke, Virginia in April, 1990. Newcomb points out that it can vary from cream to pale blue.
But the ones I saw were very similar to your description: pale yellow throat, creamy lower petal, side petals start out creamy in the throat and end up pale blue on the margins, upper petals are pale blue.
best regards,
Vicki

Vicki, RD,

The true Viola kitaibeliana is not native to the Americas, though it has cropped up now and then in publications. That, and V. rafinesquii, are now referred to V. bicolor in the USA. You can see this for yourselves if you go to my previous link (again, below), and click on each of the piccies above 'Viola bicolor'. Both photos have the yellow throat clearly shown, and 'V. kitaibeliana' listed as one of the synonyms.

Are we getting close, RD?

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Viola gallery at USDA Plants Database

Mike,
The photos on the link you provide do not look like the ones I saw, which only speaks to their variablity. I will email Dr. Ballard to see what he says about this one.

Sorry that it has take me so long to reply. We have had 5 days of rain and 2 of them we had hail. Two days after the rain they have closed up. It appears they are completing their blooming period.

I do believe it is the Viola bicolor Pursh field pansy.But the alternate picure on the same page has too much color. Mine remained light in color. Although, my violets did become slightly darker. The foliage on both pictures is correct.

Thanks so much for your help. I am very happy to have found a name for flower.

RD

could it be johnny jump up (v cornuta I believe)?
I have huge drifts of them in my "lawn" here in middle tennessee. they are one of my earliest flowers.

It is not johnny jump up. I have those too plus the dark purple and the white and the yellow.

RD