Everywhere I look there are colors and patterns. It is summer and the world around us is showing off. The flowers are in bloom, the early veggies are ready for picking. It is time to look closely at our summer world.
The word pattern means a repeated decorative design or things that are arranged following a rule or rules. Nature follows patterns and our brain likes to sort things we see into patterns. Look closely at how the leaves grow on a branch, or the petals on a flower. As gardeners we set up rows of plants or
flowers creating a pattern in our garden.
Today would be a great day for a walk to look at patterns – large and small.
In my area I can find:
- the 6 garden beds in my neighbors yard – neat and in rows
- the summer flower garden wild and crazy but if you look closer there are wild daisies at each end, holly hocks next and cone flowers in the middle
the clematis flower has six petal circling- the beet has a spiral pattern when you cut it open
- the apple has a star pattern inside
Take your nature journal and camera then head out to list and draw patterns in our neighborhood.
When you head to the library next or your local book store look for these picture books on patterns.
Plant Pattens by Nathan Olson (he also has books on Animal and Food Patterns)
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman 
