Science Visualized Life

Dandelion seeds create a bizarre whirlpool in the air to fly

Hairlike filaments help spawn the swirling vortex and create drag

dandelion floof

BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND  Dandelion seeds use a novel flying mechanism to fly to distant sprouting destinations.

Saad Chaudhry/unsplash.com 

By Helen Thompson

- More than 2 years ago

When you’re essentially a little ball of floof, flying is hard.

To ride the wind, dandelion seeds stir up a weird type of whirlpool in the air directly above them.