I’ll tell you one thing; after learning about patterns in nature, you will catch yourself looking around a lot more. Your eyes will wander, following tree bark from the base of the branches. You will catch yourself squinting at leaves and flower petals. The scales on your inconsolable Siamese Fighting Fish will suddenly become very interesting. And your dusty magnifying glass that you bought after watching the Sherlock Holmes series will finally become useful! Success!
The thoughts in your head may or may not be something like…
“Hey, that’s a spir…. oh… no… no, just a circle… OH HEY BUT THOSE COULD TOTALLY BE LOBES… kind of… it looks pretty lobby… I think…? Or maybe it’s a branch? What do branches do again? What does it all mean? Or… maybe, it’s just my chicken noodle soup and it doesn’t mean anything…”
Don’t worry! You’re not alone!
It’s very common for us to get trapped in one idea and not give up on it. After learning about patterns you may be prone to start looking for patterns in everything and searching for an explanation that may not exist.
Did you miss the other weeks?
1-Ethics, 3-Microclimates, 4-Trees, 4b-Soil 5a-Humid Cool-Cold 5b-Drylands, 6-Earthworks
**This post contains affiliate links. Connecting readers with artists. & Help for my coffee fund!**
So what are patterns?
In my Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) we focused on 5 main patterns which I will joyfully describe below tooottttallllly by memory and not at all by referring to my notes or googling the information or listening to YouTube videos as I write this. Easy…
These are patterns that can be traced in nature, in human activity, in traditions and more.
In what looks like chaos in nature; there are patterns; there is order.
Spiral
Examples found in nature:
- Snail shells
- Plant tendrils
- The inside of your ear
- Tornados & whirlpools
- The spiralling growth of leaves on a stem/branches along a trunk/petals on a rose
- Our fingerprints
What is it trying to tell you?
Spirals are typical patterns of growth & flow; motion in rotation; speeding up & slowing down.
Spirals can also be found in places where an efficient solution for filling a space is needed.
Examples in design
- Spiral herb garden
- Spiral staircases
- Springs
- Barbwire fencing
- Corkscrew
Wave
Examples found in nature:
- Water
- Wind
- Brainwaves
- Sand
- Sound waves
- Cloud Formations
What is it trying to tell you?
Waves are a symbol of movement; a reaction to a disturbance; building of momentum
Waves can be a measurement of time
Waves can detect wind direction; velocity of wind
Examples in design
- Music & musical instruments
Branch
Examples found in nature
- Roots
- Lungs
- Kidneys
- Veins
- Rivers & streams
What is it trying to tell you?
Accumulation of resources; distribution; dispersal; growth
Examples in design
- Pathways
- Highways – streets
Network
Examples found in nature
- Spiders’ web
- Birds’ nests
- Coral
- Leaf and plant structures
What is it trying to tell you?
Surface filtration; distributes tension
Creates large surface area; permeable; catches things
Examples in design
- Nets
- Straw-mulch
- Cob walls
- Hammocks
- Weaving & Knitting
Lobe
Examples found in nature
- Berries
- Pinecones
- Scales
- Our fingerprints
What is it trying to tell you?
Increase of surface area; increase of exchange; exposure; holding energy
Increase of resilience; protection; waterproofing
Examples in design
- Shingles
- Flooring
- Keyholes in gardens
Studying the patterns in nature, discovering what they are trying to tell you, and then constructing ideas on how to apply this knowledge to the design; this is why we study patterns in nature.
To understand nature better, we first need to recognize the roles of its basic patterns
-Michael Schneider
What’s your favourite pattern in nature
and it’s design application?
Leave a comment below!
&
Don’t forget to pin me
🙂
