A photo of a plant called a Himalayan Monkey Flower has gone viral on Twitter this month, but it is real or fake? Read on to find out.
The mesmerising species is amazing people on social media who are in awe at the rare sight – but others are a little hesitant about its existence.
Himalayan Monkey Flower takes over Twitter
The plant is green with stunning white flowers and is situated on top of a mountain in the viral photo.
“The Himalayan Monkey Flower is said to bloom only once every 20 years,” the caption says. “They were all bright little monkeys. The world is truly vast and full of wonders!”
It was first posted on July 10 and the original post has been viewed more than 152,000 times. It has also been re-shared by other Twitter users.
One person commented: “Nature is great.”
“Amazing,” said another.
A third person added: “Unbelievable.”
*The Himalayan monkey flower is said to bloom only once every 20 years. They were all bright little monkeys. The world is truly vast and full of wonders!*
— Dr. S.Y. Quraishi (@DrSYQuraishi) July 10, 2023
Is the image real or fake?
The Himalayan Monkey Flower is fake and was created using artificial intelligence.
If you only took a quick glance, you may not have realised that the flowers are actually cat faces with eyes, noses and mouths.
Once you realise that, the image is very obviously fake, and lots of people weren’t fooled by the phoney plant species.
Someone tweeted: “This is fake.”
“Unbelievably fake,” another agreed.
A third person added: “That image is AI-generated.”
It’s one of many AI images that’s fooled the internet this year. In May, an incredible black cat with yellow spots called Felis Salamandra had everyone in awe, but it was fake.
Many were also tricked by a photo of a sham Lynx Owl around the same time too, which was a stunning mixture of a wild cat and bird.
The Monkey Orchid is real
The image might be fake, but there is a real plant called a monkey orchid that will leave you mesmerised at nature’s beauty.
Officially called dracula simia, the orchid variety gained its nickname as the arrangement of the petals resemble a monkey’s face.
The flower is native to Ecuador but is also found in some regions of Colombia and Peru. However, it’s very rare and in danger of extinction.
