Spirals are one of the most widespread shapes in nature: From embryos and hair curls to hurricanes and galaxies. Parastichy is the study of spiral patterns on some plants.

This interactive visualization aims to show how spirals in nature are usually present in quantities that are part of the Fibonnaci sequence (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, ... ). The more spirals in a shape, the more intricate the shape.

If we count the number of parallel spirals in each direction we will get consecutive numbers from the Fibonacci sequence.

References:

• A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe – Michael S. Schneider

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parastichy