UNM Newsroom / News / Seeing trees through fractals: new research explores how we perceive nature’s patterns

Fractal scaling allows

Fractal scaling allows

viewers to perceive a tree in Mondrian's Gray Tree.

Blooming Apple Tree

Blooming Apple Tree

Mondrian's Blooming Apple Tree paintings that does not follow branch diameter scaling.

Tree carved in stone in the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India (1573 CE)

Tree carved in stone in the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India (1573 CE)

Sketches from da Vinci's notebook

Sketches from da Vinci's notebook

Leonardo da Vinci noted that trees add similar amounts of wood to all branches at once.

Credit: Institut de France

L’Arbre de Vie (Tree of life) by Gustav Klimt

L’Arbre de Vie (Tree of life) by Gustav Klimt

Abstract painting that follows branch diameter scaling similar to real trees.

Cherry Blossoms by Matsumura Goshun

Cherry Blossoms by Matsumura Goshun

Realistic painting that follows branch diameter scaling similar to real trees.

Credit: The Met

The scaling exponent (2 in this figure) determines proportions among branches and how many branches have a given thickness.

The scaling exponent (2 in this figure) determines proportions among branches and how many branches have a given thickness.

Seeing trees through fractals: new research explores how we perceive nature’s patterns

By Dani Rae Wascher February 11, 2025

Categories: College of Arts & Sciences Biology Latest News Research Front Page

Tags: Research Biology Biology Department

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