A history of brief time

Camphorweed (genus Pluchea) or Blumea? Or some other flower altogether in the family Asteraceae of asters, daisies, sunflowers, and nettles? Whatever it is, it has a brief flowering season at altitudes of about 2 kilometers above sea level. That’s why a photo of a single panicle captures flowers at all stages of their brief, umm, flowering. I liked that; a single photo to show time passing.

Even at these lower heights of Ladakh, rain clouds are stopped by the Himalayas in the south and the Karakorams in the north. In this high desert, plants have evolved to conserve moisture. One of the ways they do it is by not opening up wide like a daisy.