Arts

Stardust Forest – art of nature winner
Fireflies hold particular cultural significance in Japan, where their emergence marks the changing of the seasons and is thought to be a manifestation of the souls of dead soldiers. The floating light trails captured in this photo from Yamagata, Honshu island, were mostly created by male fireflies, which hover and emit frequent bursts of light when courting mates.
Photograph: Kazuaki Koseki/BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition/California Academy of Sciences