| Subject notes: |
These alpine plants are exposed to many extremes. To survive the strong winds and cold temperatures at the top of the mountains, the plants grow in a clump of tight spirals so tightly wound that, from a distance, they look like a sleeping sheep, giving them the common name "vegetable sheep." To survive the high UV levels on the exposed mountain tops, two of the plants in this photo use a layer of thick hairs (giving them their soft blue appearance), the third protects itself with a high concentration of dark pigments, giving it a dark red-purple color. |
