The galaxy on the blossom of a plant

Seems to me that the galaxy is represented in the blossom of this plant that grows along the banks of the pond at Bassett Creek Park.

Ice clouds

One of the things I enjoy most is seeing the beautiful creative patterns in nature that are often replicated across the elements.  For example this picture of melting snow reminds me of a bank of clouds one might see from an airplane window.  What an amazing creation!  Happy Easter to all.

Ice and clouds

The geometric ice patterns on the pond at Bassett Creek Park were complemented by the dreamy white morning clouds.

Fractal patterns in music

Fractal ice pattern

Earlier in the year I posted pictures of ice cracks that reflected nature's fractal patterns.  So, it was with great excitement that I learned researchers at McGill University discovered all musical pieces also reflect fractal patterns, where a part has a limited repetition of the whole (The beat goes on: the geometry that makes music pleasing). These fractal patterns in rhythm were more strongly recognizable in Beethoven and least likely predictable in Mozart.  Turns out the fractal rhythmic patterns were almost identical in works composed by Monteverdi and Joplin.

Ice cracks that look like dendrites

It is now believed that our brains are wired to both perceive and produce fractal patterns, not only in the three dimensions of space, but also across the time spectrum.  Seems to me the left and right lobes of our brains are a great example of a fractal pattern, with the intricate patterns which contain millions of neurons. The fractal ice patterns pictured both remind me of our nervous system's synapses and dendrites. Dr. Daniel Levitin's research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Fractal patterns in nature

Fractal patterns with ice and branch

Fractal pattern of ice cracks

Earlier I posted some pictures of ice cracks that seemed to mimic roots or branches.  I've since learned that these may be defined as fractal patterns.  In the book "The Fractal Geometry of Nature", B.B. Mandelbroth defines fractal patterns as a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size of the whole.  Snowflakes perhaps are one of the best examples of this.

Fractal pattern in tree

The tree, pictured right, appears to have a fractal pattern that imitates the veins of a leaf.

I learned of this term from a fellow photographer on the Capture Minnesota website.  These past few months it has been a blast to view pictures uploaded by photographers, both professionals and amateurs, from around the state.  This contest will be drawing to a close at the end of January.  Shortly thereafter a book will be published with a couple of hundred of the top photographs.  I wouldn't want to be the one having to rendering down the amazing variety of pictures portrayed on this site.