I don’t do heights. While trying to recover a frisbee from the shallow roof of my ranch house
back in my 20s, I spent a half-hour hugging the asphalt, unable to move forward or backward.
So when I spied these bluebells poking out of a granite outcrop in Acadia National Park, then
noticed the abyss underneath, it didn’t seem too likely that I would reach them. But I persevered,
bulky camera and flash swinging pendulously as I clambered over the rock faces. I inserted myself
into the deepest crack I could find and waited, avoiding the downward view, for the wind to abate.
Finally, oblivious to the personal peril, I got a few good photos. (My wife, who has no fear of heights,
reviewed my account with a touch of skepticism. “Drama king” was one term she used. But I'm sticking
to my account.)
Bluebells a North American natives. They prefer medium soils, full or partial sun, regular moisture,
and not too much heat.
Plants: 12-18" (30-45 cm) high.
Leaves: A basal rosette has leaves that are
rounded or heart-shaped, on long petioles (stems). Flowering stems have alternate,
narrow,
linear leaves.
Flowers: Attractive blue, delicate-looking, nodding bell-shaped flowers. Typically they have five petals, but may have
4-7. The petals fuse together to form a beautiful blue-violet bell ⅜-1" (1.2-3 cm) in size. Flowers may be single or in small clusters. Rarely, the flowers are pale pink or white. They appear from July to November.
Fruits: Capsulres are ¹/₁₆-⅛" (3-4 mm) in size.
From Thomé, Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm, Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz., 1885
Harebell leaves are very thin, at left. The larger leaves are columbine. · 9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, Maine ≈ 6 × 4½" (16 × 11 cm)
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine ≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm)
8/31/2014 · New Mexico ≈ 5 × 5" (13 × 12 cm)
8/30/2014 · New Mexico ≈ 3 × 2½" (8 × 7.3 cm)
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine ≈ 3½ × 2½" (9.8 × 6.6 cm)
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine ≈ 3½ × 5" (9.2 × 13 cm)
8/31/2014 · New Mexico ≈ 3½ × 4" (8.7 × 10 cm)
The leaves in this photo are columbine. The hareball leaves, visible at the very bottom, are very thin. · 9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, Maine ≈ 5 × 5" (12 × 13 cm)
9/16/2016 · Sieur de Monts Botanical Gardens, Bar Harbor, Maine
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine ≈ 6 × 6" (14 × 14 cm)
8/31/2014 · New Mexico ≈ 5 × 4½" (12 × 11 cm)
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine ≈ 6 × 8" (14 × 20 cm)
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine ≈ 7 × 7" (18 × 18 cm)
