First, we have to accept the amazing variety of form. So what causes this variety? Flower shape depends on how the segments of the perianth (sepals and petals) are arranged, and what shape they are. Sometimes both the sepals and the petals are even more highly modified. Members of the orchid family, for example, are famous for their intricate flower structure and specialized pollination systems. The three striped sepals in this yellow lady’s slipper ( Cypripedium canadensis, family Orchidaceae), also native to Minnesota, radiate out from the center and frame the “slipper,” a single highly modified petal that far outshines the other two, seen here just as little wings at the base of the slipper. Visual patterns in nature find explanations in chaos theory, fractals, logarithmic spirals, topology and other mathematical patterns. For example, L-systems form convincing models of different patterns of tree growth. [19] Flowers can be aggregated with one another in a variety of ways. One of the most extreme is the arrangement of hundreds of individual flowers so as to form an excellent imitation of a single flower, with petals around the outside and functional reproductive parts on the inside. This is the unifying characteristic of the aster family (Asteraceae). There are many variations on this theme of specialization within an organized whole (dandelions, sunflowers, zinnias, and many, many others), and correspondingly the Asteraceae are one of the largest plant families, with over 23,000 species and rivaled only by the orchids.

Mathematics, physics and chemistry can explain patterns in nature at different levels and scales. Patterns in living things are explained by the biological processes of natural selection and sexual selection. Studies of pattern formation make use of computer models to simulate a wide range of patterns.The first thing to consider is the axis of symmetry. Does the flower have bilateral symmetry? Does it have a clear top and bottom, with two similar sides? If you cut it in half would both sides be mirror images? This is known as Zygomorphic symmetry. Violets show this form.

In yet another variation, members of one or another ring fuse together, as in this bluebell of Scotland ( Campanula rotundifolia, family Campanulaceae) photographed in the Olympic Mountains of Washington. Because of the angle of the photograph, the modest and unfused sepals at the base of the flower are clearly visible, but the stamens are not. Saccate flowers are zygomorphic, or bilaterally symmetrical. Unfortunately, the only example I could find was the Nemathus. Alas, it;s another plant I haven’t yet illustrated. Later research has managed to create convincing models of patterns as diverse as zebra stripes, giraffe blotches, jaguar spots (medium-dark patches surrounded by dark broken rings) and ladybird shell patterns (different geometrical layouts of spots and stripes, see illustrations). [83] Richard Prum's activation-inhibition models, developed from Turing's work, use six variables to account for the observed range of nine basic within-feather pigmentation patterns, from the simplest, a central pigment patch, via concentric patches, bars, chevrons, eye spot, pair of central spots, rows of paired spots and an array of dots. [84] [85] More elaborate models simulate complex feather patterns in the guineafowl Numida meleagris in which the individual feathers feature transitions from bars at the base to an array of dots at the far (distal) end. These require an oscillation created by two inhibiting signals, with interactions in both space and time. [85]

Engage children with digital learning

Joshua Abarbanel creates work with titles such as ‘Reef 11’ and ‘Brambles’. However, we don’t need to know the titles to know that his work is about natural forms. Layered, organic shapes creep and grow across the wall where his work is situated. There are many variations on this structural theme, some simple and some amazingly complex. A simple one is pictured below, a wild Nootka rose ( Rosa nootkensis, family Rosaceae) on Ebey’s Bluff on Whidbey Island. You can see the concentric arrangement of five pink petals; numerous anther-tipped stamens fanning outward; and, less distinctly, a cluster of stigmas in the center. The five modest, green sepals are out of view under the petals. The branching pattern of trees was described in the Italian Renaissance by Leonardo da Vinci. In A Treatise on Painting he stated that: The artists on this list were chosen because of their popularity and high level of artistic achievement. Although the painting below by Spanish baroque painter Juan Sanchez Cotan initially seem austere, the potential to use them with art students is enormous. I have had a student similarly hang various vegetables and photograph them as they decay. This lead to a hugely successful project.

Cruciform flowers have four petals, and are cross-like. They have Actinomorphic symmetry. Many flowers have this form, although often they’re little white numbers that we might overlook. Hannah has a particular passion for lichen, and how it exists as a symbiotic mix of fungi with algae or cyanobacteria. She likes to imagine people living in a more symbiotic way with our environment, and how that might impact the world. Artist Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou follows in the footsteps of his father, the famous Beninese photographer Joseph Moise Agbodjelou. The younger Agbodjelou has dedicated his career to capturing the people of Porto-Novo, Benin, his hometown. He uses flowers as props that help depict the contradictions of a town that wrestles with the tension between traditional and progressive views on society.

Joe Horner

Schwämmle, V.; Herrman, H. J. (11 December 2003). "Solitary wave behaviour of sand dunes". Nature. 426 (6967): 619–620. Bibcode: 2003Natur.426..619S. doi: 10.1038/426619a. PMID 14668849. S2CID 688445. Brian Nash Gill is known for his unique woodcut art. He has a collection of relief prints using tree stumps that allow viewers to see the “ soul of a tree.” His unique works of art highlight the essence of a tree. To see a world in a grain of sand—to peer so deeply into the nature of any one thing that the riches of the Universe begin to be revealed—that to me is the essence of science as a quest. Not as a profession or a career, not as a niche in complex modern society, but as a quest for understanding your deepest nature. Read More Exploring Nils Udo’s work with your students is a compelling way to have a conversation about intertwining life and art. Student can also discuss photographing natural moments in nature versus putting natural elements together to create art.

A natural form is an object found in nature that has not been changed or altered. It is still in its natural state. For example, flowers, leaves, seedpods, bones, skeletons, feathers, birds, fish, animals etc. When we think of Claude Monet, the first thing that comes to mind is his love for water lilies. Funnily enough, however, he found his fascination for the aquatic herb quite late in life. Monet first started out with charcoal, selling caricatures of local characters for ten to twenty francs, before moving on to study at the Le Havre secondary school of the arts in Normandy.Tallinen, Tuoma; Chung, Jun Young; Biggins, John S.; Mahadevan, L. (2014). "Gyrification from constrained cortical expansion". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111 (35): 12667–12672. arXiv: 1503.03853. Bibcode: 2014PNAS..11112667T. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1406015111. PMC 4156754. PMID 25136099. Spiral Lattices & Parastichy". Smith College. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010 . Retrieved 24 September 2013. Minamino, Ryoko; Tateno, Masaki (2014). "Tree Branching: Leonardo da Vinci's Rule versus Biomechanical Models". PLoS One. Vol.9, no.4. p.e93535. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093535.