It looks like a small hummingbird but it is actually the flower of an Australian legume, the crotalaria: the photography of the birdflower is becoming popular on the web
They seem small hummingbirds but they are the inflorescences of the crotalaria, a leguminous plant native to Australia and also known as the green birdflower.
However, it would not be about mimicry: it would be us a swap the flowers of this plant for hummingbirds, due to a phenomenon called pareidolia.
The flowers that look like hummingbirds
A few days ago a user posted an image of these on Reddit unique green flowers, similar to small hummingbirds. These are the flowers of Crotalaria cunninghamii, a herbaceous plant belonging to the Fabaceae family. The plant is native to Australia and lives in arid soils and sand dunes.
The photograph intrigued thousands of other users and sparked a debate that developed over the course of over 400 comments, in which many asked if it was about mimicry.
Il mimicry in plants it is a phenomenon thanks to which a plant organism modifies itself to obtain an advantage, such as defending itself from herbivorous animals or attracting pollinating insects. Some plants have evolved to make their flowers resemble the females of certain insects, so that they can attract males of the same species, or they have modified their leaves to resemble those of toxic species, to discourage predators.
According to Reddit users, in the case of the crotalaria flowers however, it would not be a question of mimicry: in fact, the plant would not get any benefit from resembling a hummingbird, since that area of Australia would not be populated by hummingbirds or other such small birds.
? Check out these flowers that look like tiny hummingbirds! from NatureIsFuckingLit
It would simply be us humans a see a similarity between these flowers and the little birds, due to a phenomenon known as pareidolia, an illusion that leads our brain to associate the random shape of something we do not know with a familiar shape. This is what happens when, for example, we see a face in the moon.
This does not mean that the crotalaria flower is not curious and original, One of many wonders that nature offers us every day.
Read also:
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- The 10 flowers and orchids that look like animals (and more)
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- The orchid mantis: resembles a flower to capture prey
Tatiana Maselli
Photo credit Botanic Gardens&Parks Authority
