Design From Patterns to Details

Biomimicry is nothing more than pattern recognition and emulation. We observe the vegetative layering of a forest and design a food generating perenial producer based on this pattern. The seventh principle, design from patterns to details teaches us how to implement all of the previous principles. If we have an idea or problem there is likely a natural pattern that we can copy when we act upon our idea.
Design from Patterns to Details
Natural patterns are everywhere. Some are visual, others are behavioral. Most are scalable to work in multiple design systems.
It is important first to recognize the patterns. Patterns come as shapes like the spiral of a weather system, snail shell, whirlpool or a snake coiled up in the sun. Anyone that has ever flown over British Columbia will recognize the wave patterns of the ocean soon transform into the wave patterns of the Coast, Selkirk and Rocky mountain ranges. These types of patterns are often the result of some type of energy being applied to matter.
Animals and people can also show recognizable patterns, typically shown in behavioral traits. The systematic crowing of a rooster, the daily routine of a worker, the way animals move through a landscape. So many patterns and we have not even gotten into deep conversation about plants. In the plant kindom patterns often show up as symbiotic relationships between species. We also see visual patterns such as the veining of a leaf, or the lung like capillaries of a root system and branches.
Once we have found a pattern we would like to emulate we can start to add our specific details to it. You can get really caught up in specifics, but you will soon realize that it is easier to go with the flow. No design in permaculture is concrete, change is a constant. As the localized patterns of climate change begin to take shape we will have to detail our systems to adapt.