They look adorable, don’t they?
Crotalaria cunninghamii, a legume native to northern Australia, is known as the “green bird flower” for a very good reason – its green flowers look like tiny hummingbirds with their sharp beak attached to the plant’s stem.
A photo of two Crotalaria cunninghamii flowers recently went viral on Reddit, leaving many users scratching their heads and asking whether their uncanny resemblance to hummingbirds was an adaptive evolutionary development or a simple illusion. Apparently, the latter would be the most likely answer. There are no hummingbirds in northern Australia, and apart from humans, it is unlikely that any creature would mistake these flowers for real hummingbirds, so the shape does not result in any kind of benefit to the plant.
Plus, the flowers only resemble hummingbirds when viewed from a certain side-angle. It’s purely a case of simulacrum, seeing shapes and forms that look like something that they’re clearly not. It’s still pretty cool, though.
This isn’t the first time we’ve featured unusual flowers on Oddity Central. A couple of years ago we wrote about Night Sky Petunias, flowers that look like a beautiful starry sky, and about the snapdragon, whose vibrantly colored flowers turn into creepy skulls when they die.
Nature is so beautiful
The beauty of Nature
so cute
Nature.. so beautiful
This is purely a case of simulacrum but it’s really beautiful.
This is fine and spectacular
Wow this so amazing will like to get one of those plant
Nice one oooo
Nature
Wonderful
This is so cute
The beauty of nature
Another one of nature’s wonders
How wonderful and beautiful
Wow, its so beautiful