The wild violets in my lawn are vanishing and I think it's my fault

I've been letting my yard go a bit more natural since 2019, trying to get more bees and stuff around here in Springfield. Every spring I'd get this carpet of wild violets out by the fence line, the purple ones that pop up before the grass really takes off. But this year I noticed maybe a tenth of what I used to see, and it hit me that I've been running that new mulching mower over them too early every year, chopping them down before they can set seed. I used to wait until June, but with the warm springs we've had the last 3 years, I got eager and mowed in mid-April. Turns out those little flowers need that full 6 weeks to finish their cycle, and I basically trained them out of existence. My neighbor across the street still has a huge patch because he doesn't mow his back corner at all until July, and I'm honestly jealous. Has anyone else accidentally wiped out a native plant in their own yard by being too tidy, and did you find a way to bring it back without just buying seed?