You won't find Fibonacci numbers everywhere in the natural world -- many plants and

animals express different number sequences. And just because a series of numbers can be
applied to an object, that doesn't necessarily imply there's any correlation between figures and
reality. As with numerological superstitions such as famous people dying in sets of three,
sometimes a coincidence is just a coincidence.

iStockphoto.com/Janne Ahvo
The golden ratio is expressed in spiraling shells. In the above illustration, areas of the shell's
growth are mapped out in squares. If the two smallest squares have a width and height of 1,
then the box to their left has measurements of 2. The other boxes measure 3, 5, 8 and 13.
But, Fibonacci numbers appear in nature often enough to prove that they reflect some
naturally occurring patterns. You can commonly spot these by studying the manner in which
various plants grow. Here are a few examples:
Any objective observation we make must include a discussion of proportion for it is the rule
of proportion in the examination of nature that causes us to observe an organized universe
and a universe in chaos, rational and irrational numbers, harmony and discord, truth and
falsity. These descriptions are merely proportional effects of the opposition that is inherent in
all things.
We see harmony expressed by those emotions, feelings, and characteristics present within
ourselves. This harmony is viewed within nature as the Divine Proportion. The Divine
Proportion ascribed to our collective state of observation has been expressed, "For of three
magnitudes, if the greatest (AB) is to the mean (CB) as the mean (CB) is to the least (AC),
they therefore all shall be one."

AB/CB = CB/AC = 1.618...

The Divine Proportion was closely studied by the Greek sculptor, Phidias, and as a result, it
took on the name of Phi. Also referred to as the Golden Mean, the Magic Ratio, the Fibonacci

Series, etc., Phi can be found throughout the universe; from the spirals of galaxies to the
spiral of a Nautilus seashell; from the harmony of music to the beauty in art. A botanist will
find it in the growth patterns of flowers and plants, while the zoologist sees it in the breeding
of rabbits. The entomologist views it in the genealogy of a bee, and the physicist observes it
in the behavior of light and atoms. A Wall Street analyst can find it in the rising and falling
patterns of a market, while the mathematician uncovers it in the examination of the
pentagram.

Throughout history, Phi has been observed to evoke emotion or aesthetic feelings within us.
The ancient Egyptians used it in the construction of the great pyramids and in the design of
hieroglyphs found on tomb walls. At another time, thousands of miles away, the ancients of
Mexico embraced Phi while building the Sun Pyramid at Teotihuacan. The Greeks studied
Phi closely through their mathematics and used it in their architecture. The Parthenon at
Athens is a classic example of the use of the Golden Rectangle. Plato in his Timaeus
considered it the most binding of all mathematical relations and makes it the key to the
physics of the cosmos.
During the Renaissance, Phi served as the "hermetic" structure on which great masterpieces
were composed. Renowned artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci
made use of it for they knew of its appealing qualities. Evidence suggests that classical music
composed by Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach embraces Phi. Whether it was by design or
intuitive is not known.

Phi must be considered in its relation to the human psyche since it is the psyche that
interprets this phenomena. Although Phi appears to be fixed in nature, it actually is not. The
only reason it seems fixed is because it is fixed within our own minds. This proportion
corresponds to the mental vibrations that are within us and dictate our sense of pleasure and

pain, beauty and ugliness, love and hate, etc. The result is we are held captive by these
memories fixed by both body and mind. For if we were to view nature from an altered state
of consciousness, the proportion would also be altered.
Therefore, the Divine Proportion presents itself in the very physical nature of Creation. It is
seen as the beauty and organization within the cosmos. It is the harmony and glue that holds
the unity of the universe.

If U=1 and v=0.618034, we have the Golden Rectangle which is supposed to be the most
perfect proportions for a rectangle. If we remove the square from the rectangle, we are left
with another rectangle of the same exact proportions. We can continue to remove squares
from rectangles indefinitely and still keep getting Golden Rectangles each time. This has an
application close to a very famous rule to photographers. It is said that if you compose your
pictures with objects of interest a third into the picture, that this makes the most pleasing
composition. This is called the Rule of Thirds.
Furthermore, as the following diagrams show, this series of Golden Rectangles can be
inscribed within a logarithmic spiral.

These spirals can be seen in nature in the form of snail shells or some shellfish shells, and
also in the arrangement of seeds in flowering plants.
Similarly, many flowers have a number of petals equal to a Fibonacci number:

3 petals: lily, iris

5 petals: buttercup, wild rose, larkspur, columbine (aquilegia)

8 petals: delphiniums

13 petals: ragwort, corn marigold, cineraria,

21 petals: aster, black-eyed susan, chicory

34 petals: plantain, pyrethrum

55, 89 petals: michaelmas daisies, the asteraceae family

The Golden Ratio: Nature's Perfect Number

Most people find that things that follow the patterns of the Golden Ratio are pleasing to look
at. Scientists have even conducted tests that show that the Golden Ratio appeals to both the
human brain and the human eye. However, scientists do not know why this occurs. Some
believe that the human brain may be hardwired, or genetically programed, to find the shapes
and proportions of the Golden Ratio aesthetically pleasing.
From the times of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to the modern peoples of today, the
Golden Ratio has remained shrouded in a sense of mystique that is yet to be completely
understood by science. One thing that most scientists do agree on is that Nature's perfect
number seems to be the Golden Ratio. An infinite number, the Golden Ratio is usually
expressed as 1.618.

The Golden Ratio in Nature

The beauty of the Golden Ratio is found all throughout nature. For example, if you look
closely at the head of a daisy you will see the tiny florets grow in two spirals from the center
outward. The number of the florets in the two spirals are 21 and 34, both Fibonacci numbers,
which is a Golden Ratio. The Fibonacci number sequence is: 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,34,55,89,144.
Each number is the sum of the two numbers before it.
Other examples of the Golden Ratio found in nature include:

The growth points of a tree illustrate the Fibonacci sequence as it grows.

The trunk of the tree - 1 growth point

The trunk produces a branch -2 growth points

The trunk produces a second branch - 3 growth points

The first branch and the trunk each produce another growth point 5 growth points

The trunk, the first and the second branch all produce new growth
points - 8 growth points

The tree is branching following the Golden Ration with the Fibonacci sequence:
1,2,3,5,8. The growth pattern continues following the Fibonacci sequence as the tree
grows.

The number of petals on many flowers, such as:

Lilies - 3 petals

Buttercups - 5 petals

Delphiniums - 8 petals

Corn marigold - 13 petals

Black-eyed susan - 21 petals

Plantain - 34 petals

Michaelmas daisies - 55 petals

The Fibonacci sequence: 3,5,8,13,21,34,55 is illustrated.

The seed heads of flowers grow in spirals that follow the Golden Ratio

The leaves of a plant as they grow around the stem

Plant leaves as they unfurl

The bracts of a pinecone

The florets of vegetables such as Romanesque broccoli and cauliflower

The cells of the human body

The proportions of the human body

The proportions of animals and insects

Not all flowers and plants follow the Fibonacci number sequence. There are flowers that have
4, 6 or a different number of petals but these are not as common as those that follow the
Golden Ratio pattern of growth.