I just love these perfect little flowers. They are numerous along the Heartland Trail where I walk. I never get tired of looking at them!

This is an incredible hardy plant. I have seen them growing along the north shore in cracks between rocks and even in cracks in bluestone retaining walls along the Duluth Lakewalk. I bought some seed-grown harebell from a local grower (Boreal Natives I think) and planted it amoung chunks of bluestone on our front hill and it did great, blooming a long time each summer, though most recently it is less vigorous due to competition from pearly everlasting and large-leaved aster. Great site!

There is harebell growing in the cracks and crevices on the bluff walls at Battle Creek Park in St Paul, too. I was surprised to see it there where nothing else seemed to grow, but now it seems not such an unusual place to find it after all.

BTW, I was species steward for harebell at Wild River State Park last year. I think it would make a great garden plant just about anywhere. I saw it blooming June through September (though an individual plant doesn't necessarily bloom the entire season) and does well enough in full sun to near full shade, but seems to prefer part shade. And the flowers are beautiful, of course!

find these growing on Star Island in Cass Lake

Found these growing along the shores of Woman Lake, which is in Cass County. Such perfect little bells!

These are growing prolifically in my back yard and I have no idea where they came from. I have mostly blue ones, but there are also some pure white ones. I will be separating them soon and sharing them with friends and neighbors!

Saw one blooming in Itasca State Park near mid October!

It blooms over a very long period - I saw it in bloom at Rushford Sand Barrens SNA in October 2012. It's interesting to see that it was also in bloom at Itasca during the same period.

Harebells grow in the ditches everywhere here. Sandy, dry, and sunny. It amazes me that such a delicate looking plant is hardy enough to survive droughts and downpours.

This was in bloom in a variety of locations on the SNA.

I've seen these in the cliffs along the Saint Croix like many people, and in the Rocky Mountains out west, where it grows in thick clumps with many, many flowers.

I planted one in the garden a few years ago. I highly recommend it. Unlike the evil creeping bellflower, it stays in a tight little clump, which gets bigger every year. It blooms all summer and fall if you deadhead it. Some of my clumps are the size of ones in the Rocky Mountains, with lots of flowers. I love it.

The seeds are tiny, almost like dust, so they don't grow unless they're in an undisturbed moist spot without taller plants around them. I suspect that's why the plant grows in cliffs. It doesn't need sandy soil or rocks to grow; it does just fine in deep, loose loamy garden soil, as long as you plant in a mature plant and don't try to grow it from seed.

Found it growing in my back yard on the pile of gravel dirt we use as a backstop for shooting firearms. Very pretty purple flower on these glad it is not a noxious weed from what I found.

I observed and photographed this plant in bloom close to the shore of Rainy Lake north of International Falls, Mn on July 5, 2007.

I saw these on 7/20/16 while hiking the Locator Lake trail in Voyageur's National Park. They were growing in part shade along the trail in the woods. I had planted some in my garden this spring in a partly shady area and now realize this plant also grows in full sun and in rocky outcrops so will move some to a boulder retaining wall with more sun and see how they do.

Along Cty Road 3 by Ossipee

The flowers are growing on a cliff side along the Mississippi River.

Flowers observed in bloom along the trail at Crane Meadows NWR July 4, 2017.

On June 13, 2018 interestingly enough I saw the Harebell growing on a live viewing cam on explore.org while observing the baby falcons (eyasses) in the falcon nest located on a cliff called Great Spirit Bluff. It is overlooking Lock & Dam #7 on the Mississippi River near La Crescent, Minnesota. The cam operator happened to zoom in on the flower near the nest box. Viewers have the capability to observe nature and take snapshots in real time.
https://files.explore.org/sn/2018/06/13/w/038891883.jpg

Very common in the Hwy. 2 area of southern Beltrami just west of Bemidji. My yard which is mixed conifers and deciduous is full of them. Apparently they are not fussy as the soil here is pretty poor.

Seen 10/5/2018. Have photos, if desired. Got ID for it on the MN Naturalists Facebook group, as well as from a friend with a degree dealing with plants. Hmmm, now people also think it's possibly a bell flower. The link to my post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/748696691863300/permalink/2111588552240767/

Lisa, your photo shows creeping bellflower, not harebell. Compare the leaves, which are quite different between the two, to confirm it.

Theses little beauties are growing in Minneopa State Park in Blue Earth County, along the rim of the cliffs near the waterfalls. Partly shaded.

I have seen this many times along Lake Superior and along the lake I live on, Sunfish Lake. It is pretty common so I haven't reported a sighting BUT I saw one blooming on NOVEMBER 7 this year in Interstate State Park. I was on the Wisconsin side but I could see the Minnesota side right across the Saint Croix. I have also seen the white flowered form in Voyagers NP.

I have these growing in my garden for nearly 30 years. A friend gave them to me when I was visiting and we went to their lake cabin. Mine have very long 3 and 1/2" leaves small toothed edges in a very arrowhead shape. And they grow from a central bunch of leaves. I can't remember if they have leaves on their stalks as they tend to go a bit dormant after blooming in late spring/early summer. I found them once in the Guide to North American wildflowers but no longer have the book. Can any one help identify them?

CeCe, it sounds like you have creeping bellflower, not harebell. Compare the leaves, which are quite different between the two, to confirm it.

A few are growing on the corner of prairie where the old townhouse stood. I don't thin that corner has ever been farmed.

Spotted growing in/on the rocks on the shore of Lake Superior, near the trails around Split Rock Lighthouse.

VERY common around the lakefront and along the native trail from paul n babe to diamond point park

Maybe I missed it here, but I would like to see some description of how to distinguish native Campanula from campanula rapunculoides (creeping bellflower). I think there are some folks here who believe they have the native when they actually have the invasive. "Sharing" the invasive would not be a gift, believe me! There is a Facebook support group for gardeners who are trying to get rid of this scourge in their gardens.

Sheila, as mentioned in the Notes section above, leaf shape is different for creeping bellflower compared to similar species. Far too often people just look at the flower when other parts of a plant, including the overall plant structure, make it much easier to tell species apart.

Would like to plant some native harebells in my garden. Would I start by seed or starter plants. Who might sell starter plants or seeds of native variety for Minnesota. Than you

Mary Ellen, Minnesota Wildflowers does not track who sells what so check with native plant nurseries, some of which do mail order and others have retail stores.