Nature is a system of intelligence. It means designing for efficiency—often by learning from strategies that have evolved over time.
To explore nature, I began with a red cedar tree, aiming to simulate and predict its growth patterns—forms shaped by both internal biology and external forces. By analyzing its geometry, I sought to understand how trees embody the dynamic relationship between organism and environment. These patterns reveal the adaptive logic of life.
Patterns are central to understanding nature. While tree geometry may appear chaotic, it follows internal rules governed by growth and environment. Scientists and mathematicians have long used models to describe these forms. Benoît Mandelbrot’s work on fractals revealed that self-similar, recursive patterns appear across scales1. Using computational modeling, simulation, and data visualization, I explored natural systems often hidden from view—decoding their structure and behavior.
Part One: A Story of A Tree
October 20, 2024. Rodman’s Hollow, Block Island, sunny and windy, a beautiful afternoon. A red cedar tree near the cliff caught my attention
— such a unique shape, grown in one direction. A wind sculpture. I carefully cut a branch and brought it back with me. Through close observation and detailed study, I distilled the geometry of the tree into one simple module. I employed the Lindenmayer system (L-system)2 to reconstruct a digital model of the tree, capturing not only its physical form, but also its underlying logic of growth.
The patterns of the tree are influenced by both natural environmental conditions and human activities. Natural patterns are deeply interconnected — nature itself is a system, where each part is shaped by its surroundings and internal logic. These patterns reflect the adaptive strategies of life, revealing a dialogue between order and randomness, structure and change. By studying and modeling these patterns, I aim to better understand the complex intelligence embedded in natural forms.
Location:
Rodman’s Hollow
Walking path: (Right)
From Low Point C to High elevation Point A.
Views: (left)
Eight exploratory views from Point C
Human History
The patterns reflect land shaped by agriculture:
Rodman’s Hollow on Block Island embodies a layered history—from the seasonal land stewardship of the Narragansett people and colonial conflicts like the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars, to the agricultural expansion of the 18th and 19th centuries challenged by poor soil. Its 20th-century decline gave way to ecological renewal, and today it stands preserved as a coastal reserve honoring both cultural heritage and environmental resilience.
The patterns reflect land shaped by agriculture:
Rodman’s Hollow on Block Island embodies a layered history—from the seasonal land stewardship of the Narragansett people and colonial conflicts like the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars, to the agricultural expansion of the 18th and 19th centuries challenged by poor soil. Its 20th-century decline gave way to ecological renewal, and today it stands preserved as a coastal reserve honoring both cultural heritage and environmental resilience.
Nature History
Early to mid-succession:
Factors Supporting
Early SuccessionPrevious Land Use as a Farm
Open, Sunny Environment
Well-Drained, Sandy Soil
Shaped by it’s past as open farmland with sandy, well-drained soils, Rodman’s Hollow supports early to mid-successional growth dominated by hardy pioneers like Eastern red cedar and staghorn sumac—species well-adapted to coastal exposure, disturbance, and rapid colonization.
Early to mid-succession:
Factors Supporting
Early SuccessionPrevious Land Use as a Farm
Open, Sunny Environment
Well-Drained, Sandy Soil
Shaped by it’s past as open farmland with sandy, well-drained soils, Rodman’s Hollow supports early to mid-successional growth dominated by hardy pioneers like Eastern red cedar and staghorn sumac—species well-adapted to coastal exposure, disturbance, and rapid colonization.
Summer: Southwest
Winter: North, Northwest
Spring & Fall: Southwest, Northwest
The tree geometry is influenced by the prevailing wind directions—primarily from the Southwest or Northwest and North.
I cut a branch from the red cedar tree,
I watched, traced, and wondered.
The Tool:
A method to simulate tree patterns from a branch:
L-System (Lindenmayer System)5
An L-system, or Lindenmayer system, is a mathematical model used to simulate the growth patterns of plants and other natural forms. It uses simple rules to generate complex structures through recursion—repeating patterns at different scales. The system evolves by repeatedly applying the rules to create increasingly complex patterns, which can then be visualized—often as branching structure
An L-system consists of:
- An alphabet (set of symbols)
- An axiom (starting string)
- Production rules
(how symbols are replaced over time)
s.
(Parametric rule system):Height Calculation
This system models the total height of a tree grown from repeated branching, where each generation’s branch length scales down by a factor s.
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Instructors:
Johanna Barthmaier-Payne
Tom Weis
Wolfgang Rudorf
Ann Kearsley
Read More: Hu, Jia, "Tree Story" (2025). Masters Theses. 1444.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1444/