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Harebell
(Campanula rotundifolia )
Harebell © Beth Newman/Plantlife
Harebell is a flower of dry, open, windy places from the hills to the sea.
Their papery beauty belies their extraordinary toughness and resilience. It is one of the flowers we keep track of in our Wildflowers Count survey - click here to find out how you can help out.
County flower of Dumfriesshire, Yorkshire and County Antrim.
Distribution
Widespread throughout the UK.
Habitat
Dry, grassy places.
Best time to see
When it flowers July-September.
Did you know...
The harebell is called the bluebell of Scotland (although a different species to the bluebell more famous south of the border).
Here it is also known as the cuckoo's shoe, witch bells or old man's bell - the 'old man' being the devil himself.
In County Antrim it is a fairy plant, mearacan puca, the goblin's (or Puck's) thimble. Pick it at your peril.