Cover stories (111:05): Wood, termites, & fungi—a tale of tribulation

The cover image for our May issue shows fruiting bodies of the fungus Microporus xanthopus sprout from a dead log in the Daintree rainforest of Queensland, Australia. This image relates to the article ‘Wood traits explain microbial but not termite-driven decay in Australian tropical rainforest and savanna‘ by Stephanie Law et al. Here, co-author Steven Allison tells us…

Cover stories (111:04): The shape of autumn

The cover image for our April issue shows dried, freshly senesced leaves and foliated twigs of different gymnosperm and angiosperm species, demonstrating the size and shape of leaf litter particles. This image relates to the article ‘Experimental evidence that leaf litter decomposability and flammability are decoupled across gymnosperm species‘ by Shudong Zhang et al. Here, Shudong tells us…

Cover stories (111:03): The mysterious process of Mistletoe germination

The cover image for our March issue shows twin seedlings of mistletoe (Viscum album) established on a branch of apple (Malus domestica), the parasite’s most frequent British host. This image relates to the Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland: Viscum album, by Peter Thomas et al. Here, co-author Jonathan Briggs tells us the story behind the image: The germination…

Cover stories (111:02): Yellow trout lily – a journey from ground to museum to research journal

The cover image for our February issue shows a digitized herbarium specimen of flowering yellow trout lily plants (Erythronium americanum). This image relates to the article, Warmer temperatures are linked to widespread phenological mismatch among native and non-native forest plants, by Tara Miller et al., which is part of a special feature on Leveraging natural history collections to understand…

Cover stories (110:12): European Hazel, Corylus avellana

The cover image for our December issue shows germination day one of European Hazel, Corylus avellana. The yellow radicle breaks through the nut wall and elongates into the substrate over the following fortnight. This image relates to the article, Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland: Corylus avellana, by Damien Hicks. Here, Damien tells us the story behind the image: The…

Cover stories (110:9): Can disease resistance evolve independently at different ages? 

The cover image for our September issue features a pollinator approaching flowers of an alpine carnation with anthers carrying dark spores of  the anther-smut pathogen. This image relates to the research article: Can disease resistance evolve independently at different ages? Genetic variation in age-dependent resistance to disease in three wild plant species, by Emily Bruns et al.…

Cover stories (110:8): Erythronium americanum, the Yellow trout lily

The cover image for our August issue features an Erythronium americanum leaf (the Yellow trout lily). This image relates to the research article: Citizen science across two centuries reveals phenological change among plant species and functional groups in the Northeastern US, by Kerissa Fuccillo Battle et al. Here, Kerissa tells us the story behind the image. This photograph shows…

Cover stories: Impacts of snowmelt & species interactions on plant population dynamics

The cover image for our May issue features a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) visiting flowers of the plant Ipomopsis aggregata in Gothic, CO, USA. This image relates to the research article: Comparative impacts of long-term trends in snowmelt and species interactions on plant population dynamics, by Diane Campbell, Mary Price, Nickolas Waser, Rebecca Irwin,…

Cover stories: Ginkgo biloba

The cover image for our April issue shows the diversity of leaf morphology from the fallen leaves of a single Ginkgo biloba tree, located in monitored plots at the Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, China. The image relates to the International Biological Flora: Ginkgo biloba, by Han-Yang Lin et al. ✏️A note from the Editor, Anthony Davy: The April cover…