Violets are Here

My first violets, growing up between the slats of our stairs made of pressure treated wood.

I had long been aware that some plants easily colonize disturbed habitats like churned up roadsides, and gaps in sidewalks, but I only recently learned that there is a name for this kind of plant - they're called ruderal species.

The word ruderal originates from the Latin for rubble. My violets were growing on a substrate of crushed stone covered by wooden boards. Ruderal species can colonize any disturbed area, e.g. such as after an avalanche clears vegetation, or also in less than optimal soil conditions created by human disturbance, such as road-building. These hardy plants colonize an area and may be succeeded by other plant species later if conditions become favorable, but they are the pioneers, perfectly able to survive in impoverished situations. (It can also be the optimal situation for a non-native species to become established.)

Google created and suggested this stylized version: nice, not natural looking to me.