Robert HardingSpirals are patterns that occur naturally in plants and natural systems, including the weather. They were studied by mathematicians including Leonardo Fibonacci, who tried to understand order in nature. Spirals have also been the inspiration for architectural forms and ancient symbols.
Plants like this Aloe follow Fibonacci’s description of Phyllotaxis, a formula for the spiral growth patterns of leaves (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
A snail shell (Still Pictures/Robert Harding)
A chameleon’s tail (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
Cucumber plant tendril (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
Polished ammonite slice (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
A colony of salps that has formed itself into a spiral and is floating at the surface of the ocean, off the Channel Islands of California (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
Two cyclones formed in tandem in November 2006 (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
Leafy cup coral, Jackfish Alley, Ras Mohamed National Park, Sharm El Sheikh, Red Sea, Egypt (Anna C J Segeren/Robert Harding)
Millipede in a defensive coil, Alicante, Spain (Niall Benvie/Robert Harding)
Spirals have been used by humans as inspiration for architecture: staircase in the Vatican museum (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
The spiral was an ancient symbol throughout the world, thought to signify growth, evolution and the universe. Newgrange archeological site (c, 3200 bC) , Ireland (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
See a larger photo-gallery of both manmade and natural patterns here