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Fibonacci thistle
This sequence and its presence in nature has fascinated scientists for centuries
© Anne Marl
■ Dear HIW,
On a walk I passed this thistle plant and noticed this beautiful and intricate pattern. When looking at the photograph, it got me thinking about the Fibonacci sequence. I don’t know much about it, but wondered if you could tell me if it’s connected to this pattern?
Anne Marl
What a mesmerising picture, and a great choice to demonstrate the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers where each is the sum of the two that came before it: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55.... This sequence can often be found in the structure of natural things. Your photograph is a perfect example of this, where you can see the concentric spiral pattern. This is a genetically determined pattern, and the resulting spirals match up with the numbers in the sequence. These spirals can be found on all thistles, pinecones and some flower heads. Next time you see the spiral on a snail or the number of branches growing from a tree, see if you can spot where these numbers hide.