The weather on a mountain is very different from that in a valley. Near the top of the mountain it may be very cold for much of the year. The ground may be covered with snow and the soil will be frozen. Not only are winters long, but summers are short and cool. Alpine plants must be adapted to survive these difficult conditions.

Many alpine plants are adapted to withstand the cold by having hairs on their leaves and stems. These trap air, helping to keep the plant warm. Plants that are covered in snow may have black buds. The black buds absorb the heat of any sunshine and melt the snow around them. This makes liquid water for the plant roots and makes the snow collapse above the buds so they can quickly grow out and burst into flower.

Alpine plants have large, bright coloured flowers. This makes the flowers easy for the insects to find. If the insects had to spend a long time finding the flowers there may not be enough time for pollination, fertilisation and development of fruits and seeds.