Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Spirals in Nature

This wild daisy I spotted on a rainy afternoon this week is a good illustration of naturally occurring spirals. The mathematical sequence was described hundreds of years ago by Fabonacci. The pattern allows for the greatest number of seeds that can be packed into the seed head. The same swirling pattern can be seen in sunflowers and some pine cones. Looking intently, it is difficult to tell which way the spirals open.

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