Yulan Magnolias Look So Much Like Birds You Won’t Believe They’re Flowers

We all love a good trick of the eye – just think the great debate over the gold or blue dress a few years ago.

But there is one optical illusion that has been brought to us courtesy of Mother Nature. And it’s pretty cool! These particular flowers also happen to look very similar to birds.

The flowers are those of the Yulan magnolias, a species that is native to China. The beautiful and fragile pink flower has a citrus scent, as well as a very long history. These flowers date back many, many years – having been raised for almost 1,500 years in the gardens of Buddhist temples.

Yulan magnolias are native to China. They’ve been cultivated in Buddhist temple gardens for nearly 1500 years.

Regarded as a symbol of purity, they were planted around the emperor’s palace during the Tang Dynasty.