Today's fractal is so bushy and branching, that you might almost miss the regular curving patterns of a Julia set. (Actually, this is two Julia sets, but who's counting?) That seems fitting, as nature can be the same way. You might not notice a particular spot, even though you pass by every day. Then, one day, your eye happens to catch a familiar pattern, and suddenly the ordinary is strikingly beautiful. I created this fractal to honor that awestruck feeling that comes along with discovering a world right under your nose:
And here's a matching spot, which I pass by every day, while walking my dog:
A honey bee (Apis mellifera) flies from blossom to tiny blossom in a thicket of coyote willow (Salix exigua) and some flowering bush that I've never seen before, and can't seem to identify.
This small wetland area behind my house, while filled with native species like the coyote willow, owes its existence to humankind. The honey bee is, of course, an introduced species from Europe, and who knows where the little white flowers came from. (Actually, if anyone can help identify them, please let me know. I'll describe the plant in more detail at the end.) Today, the area is a neighborhood suburban park; 100 years ago, orchards and fields. 100 years before that, it was much drier, simply a section of floodplain in a shortgrass prairie ecosystem. What will it look like 100 years from now? I'll be looking at these issues and more over the next week--this is just a sneak peek.
Before I go, I'll describe that unidentifiable flowering bush: (If I could have figured it out before, this fractal would have appeared several hours ago.) It grew just over a meter high (about 42") with elliptical, alternate leaves on long, branching stalks. (Hence the fractal description.) The flowers were very tiny, 4-lobed blossoms growing in dense, round clumps. It had a pleasant fragrance, as well. Of course, the bees liked it. I originally wanted to get a picture of some cabbage white butterflies that were flocking about, but they didn't seem interested in the white blossoms. (They seemed to prefer mating over my head, darting every time I lifted my camera.)
Image notes: All images above are by the author, fractals created using ChaosPro
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