The Fibonacci Sequence

Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds Psalm 71:17

I have a sunflower growing in my back yard planted (inadvertently) by either the chipmunks or the birds. Both critters feed at my bird feeder- the birds at the feeder, the squirrels and chipmunks underneath. As nature proceeds, birds and ground animals thrive when we feed them with nuts, seeds, suet, etc. Then these animals pay it forward by “replanting” that food in other places.

It is fun to watch nature at work!

That sunflower that is growing by the side of my house is also demonstrating the incredible order of the Creator. The seeds packed into the large head of that flower are set in a sequence called the Fibonacci Sequence. This is a mathematical formula that allows a very tight and economical packing of the seeds in the flower’s head. The Fibonacci Sequence shows up in many areas of nature. The sequence follows the formula 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34…

As you can see, the numbers are sequenced by the sum of the numbers immediately preceding them. This sequence appears at any number of places in nature, and it also follows the “Golden Ratio” of architecture, allowing a stable, pleasing, and economical array of numbers which are part of Nature’s order.

In order to marvel and appreciate our creation, sometimes, we just need to stop and smell the sunflowers, right?  

Prayer: Lord, what a marvelous plan of creation you set forth, Amen