® LARRY ULRICH

Lessons of the Flowers
By Laura Tangley
A pioneering experiment in the Colorado Rockies suggests that climate change models underestimate how fast the world is heating up

® CHRISTINA L. EVANS

Seeing Birds at Their Best
Every year, thousands of images of avian behavior make their way across our desks; here are some of our recent favorites

® STEVE MASLOWSKI (VISUALS UNLIMITED)

Enjoying the Nightlife
By Janet Marinelli
When the sun sets, a new cast of animals appears on the backyard stage; homeowners can provide food for pollinators and other nocturnal visitors

® ALLEN BLAKE SHELDON

America’s Forgotten Forest
By Doreen Cubie
Found only in the Deep South, longleaf pine woodlands have dwindled to about 3 percent of their former range, but new efforts are under way to restore them

® MARTIN HARVEY

Scenes from a Desert Drama
By Molly Newman
The tight-knit yet highly contentious social structure of the Kalahari’s meerkats has made them the unlikely stars of a television soap opera

® MICHAEL AND PATRICIA FOGDEN

Shining a Light on Glass Frogs
By David Brian Butvill
In a remote, Costa Rican rain forest, a self-taught scientist is multiplying what we know about these tiny and elusive amphibians

® JAN VERMEER (FOTONATURA/MINDEN PICTURES

Antarctic Affair
On a December day on Antarctica’s Cockburn Island, Dutch photographer Jan Vermeer found a pair of blue-eyed shags engaging in the rituals of courtship