A mockingbird munching on berries. An owl seeking refuge amid the Spanish moss. An oriole diligently working on its hanging nest. What do all these moments captured in the photographs below have in common? Birds, sure, but also: native plants. Inspired by 探花精选's Plants for Birds program, the 2019 探花精选 Photography Awards introduced a new Plants for Birds category to raise awareness about the importance of native flora to all wildlife. Meanwhile, photographers were challenged to go beyond their comfort zones and know the local plants they were photographing as well as their target bird species. As you'll see from the variety of stunning images here, the submissions more than exceeded our expectations. In addition to providing the food and shelter birds, pollinators, and other animals have adapted to through millenia, native plants also serve as an important conservation tool in an era of worsening climate change; birds being forced from their...