In 1202 a mathematician known as Fibonacci introduced the concept of the Fibonacci sequence of numbers to the Western world in his book, Liber Abaci. Many objects in nature, such as roses, display properties related to the Fibonacci sequence.

The next number in the Fibonacci sequence is always found by adding the two previous numbers together, like so:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34…

This pattern contains instructions for roses of two different sizes—one ending in 8 petals and the other in 13 petals.