Looking at how plants twine
In 2007 Angela Moles, an ecologist from New Zealand, published a paper that showed that 92% of all the twining plants in the World, twine in a right-handed direction. Does that statistic sound familiar?
Yes, similar to humans, only 8% of climbing plants are left-handed.
Nobody knows why, depite quite a lot of research. There is no match to the spinning of the Earth or prevailing winds, or anything environmental in fact.
However, here’s a fun fact. Wisteria comes in two forms that twine in opposite directions. This is very rare. Japanese wisteria twines left-handed. Any hybrid of Japanese wisteria also twines left-handed.
I am left handed, as are more than 10% of my family. How about you? Is there something genetic going on?
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is a common and well-loved sight in the gardens and hedgerows of the British Isles
Its beautiful blooms and captivating smell are enough to make it very special.
Yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s left-handed
I had to create at least one pattern in honour of this beautiful rarity.
So here is the Honeysuckle Helix scaf. A light, open texture in simple lace. A rectangle with buttons and in- built buttonholes that allows you to wear it in many different ways.
Just like the flexible stem of the left-handed Honeysuckle.
Souce of information is ‘Darwin’s Most Wonderful Plants’ by Ken Thompson
