Nick Upton / Large-fruited juniper (Juniperus macrocarpa), with ripening seed cones in coastal maquis scrubland, Kos, Dodecanese Islands, Greece, August 2013.

Jussi Murtosaari / Spotted nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) feeding on pine cone, Jyvaskyla, Finland, July.

Michael Quinton / Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) foraging on pine cones, Alaska

Colin Varndell / Sickener toadstools (Russula emetica) and Scots pine cones (Pinus sylvestris) New Forest, Hampshire, UK September.

Mike Read / Blue atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica glauca) cones, Swanwick, Derbyshire, England, UK, October.

Gerrit Vyn / Lodgepole pine cones (Pinus contorta), Teton County, Wyoming, USA. May.

Sven Zacek / Common redpoll (Carduelis flammea) feeding on alder cones in Tartumaa, Estonia, February.

Alan Murphy / Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus) feeding on pine cones, Alaska

Vladimir Medvedev / Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) tree with cones, Amur Region, Russia.

Vladimir Medvedev / Yeddo spruce (Picea jezoensis) flower cones, Amur Region, Russia.

Vladimir Medvedev / Siberian dwarf pine tree (Pinus pumila) cones, Amur Region, Russia.

Vladimir Medvedev / Yeddo spruce (Picea jezoensis) flower cones, Amur Region, Russia.

Krista Schlyer / Longleaf pine cone (Pinus palustris) in forest, northern Florida, USA. March.

Krista Schlyer / Longleaf pine cone (Pinus palustris) Green Swamp Preserve, North Carolina, USA, May 2014.

Krista Schlyer / Pine woods tree frog (Hyla femoralis), Longleaf pine forest, Florida, USA. March.

Donald M. Jones / Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens) on pine cones, North America

Donald M. Jones / Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) in winter on pine cones, western Montana

Donald M. Jones / Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) in winter on pine cones, western Montana

Nick Upton / Marsh horsetail (Equisteum palustre) with spore cones growing on marshy ground around a pond, Cornwall, UK, April.

Adrian Davies / Larch (Larix kaempferi) cones. Botanic Garden, Surrey, England, June.

Chris Mattison / Cone of Korean Fir tree (Abies koreana) cultivated specimen.

Chris Mattison / Cone of Korean Fir tree (Abies koreana) cultivated specimen.

Chris Mattison / Snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea) parasitic plant which grows in conifer forests. Sierra Nevada, California, USA, June..

Olga Kamenskaya / Autumn leaves and pine cones with zoom effect. 'Brown Bear Coast', Baikalo-Lensky Nature Reserve, Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia, September 2013.

Markus Varesvuo / Male Common Crosbill (Loxia curvirostra) feeding on Larch cones, Helsinki, Finland, November

Markus Varesvuo / Raven (Corvus corax) perched with cone in beak, Finland, March

Markus Varesvuo / Red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) feeding on fir cones in snow, Helsinki, Finland, October

Markus Varesvuo / Coal tit (Periparus ater) perched in pine tree, Finland, November

Markus Varesvuo / Two-barred / White winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) feeding on pine cones, Helsinki, Finland, November

Markus Varesvuo / Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) perched on crown of snow-covered conifer tree, Kuusamo, Finland, January

Markus Varesvuo / Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) perched on fir tree. Kuusamo, Finland, June

Markus Varesvuo / Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum / genus), adult perched on top of a coniferous tree. Helsinki, Finland. January.

Markus Varesvuo / Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) perched on crown of snow-covered conifer tree, Kuusamo, Finland, January

Markus Varesvuo / Willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) amongst young pine cones, Estonia may 2005

Adrian Davies / Ear-pick fungus (Auriscalpium vulgare) growing from a buried pine cone, excavated for photograph, Surrey, England, UK, September.

Philippe Clement / Conifercone cap (Baeospora myosura) growing from a pine cone, Belgium, October.

Philippe Clement / Conifercone cap (Baeospora myosura) growing from a pine cone, Belgium, October.

Philippe Clement / Conifercone cap (Baeospora myosura) growing from a pine cone, Belgium, October.

Yukihiro Fukuda / Pine cones chewed by Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis) Mount Yatsugatake, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, October. Endemic species.

Yukihiro Fukuda / Collection of food eaten Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis) including chestnuts, Walnut (Juglans ailantifolia), pine cones, Mount Yatsugatake, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, October. Endemic species.

Nick Upton / Low angle view of Great horsetail (Equisteum telmateia) spore cones emerging from marshy ground fringing a pond, Wiltshire, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Spore cones of Great horsetail (Equisteum telmateia) amerging from marshy ground around a pond, Wiltshire, UK, April.

Paul Hobson / Crested tit (Parus cristatus) perched on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) Scotland, January.

Dave Watts / Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) feeding on Banksia cones (Banksia marginata) Tasmania, Australia.

Dave Watts / Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) feeding on Banksia cones (Banksia marginata) Tasmania, Australia.

David Woodfall / Road closed sign in flooded lane following February 2014 floods in Severn valley, Gloucestershire, England, UK, 7th February 2014.

Ralph Martin / Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) female feeding on pine cones, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Alan Murphy / Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) pair foraging on pine cones, Texas

Ann & Steve Toon / Female Welwitschia plant (Welwitschia mirabilis), cones in flower, Kunene region, Namibia, Africa, May

Chris Mattison / Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) cone lying on Hair moss (Polytrichum commune) Peak District, England, UK. July.

Chris Mattison / Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) cones, one gnawed by a squirrel, lying on hair moss (Polytrichum commune) Peak District, England, UK. July.

Tui De Roy / Eroded volcanic tuff cones with Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) sleeping on sandy beach, Punta Pitt, San Cristobal Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. May 2012.

Tui De Roy / Eroded volcanic tuff cones with Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) sleeping on sandy beach, Punta Pitt, San Cristobal Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. May 2012.

Tui De Roy / Eroded volcanic tuff cones, with Sesuvium vegetation, Punta Pitt, San Cristobal Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. May 2012.

Colin Varndell / Marsh horsetail (Equisetum telmateia) spore cones. Dorset, UK April 2013

Thomas Marent / Norway Spruce (Picea abies) female cones, Switzerland

Thomas Marent / Norway Spruce (Picea abies) female cones, Switzerland

Pascal Tordeux / View of Mawenzi, one of the three cones of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, February 1985

Nick Upton / Developing cone of Turkish pine (Pinus brutia). Isle of Samos, Eastern Sporades, Greece, July.

Nick Upton / Developing cones of Turkish pine (Pinus brutia). Isle of Samos, Eastern Sporades, Greece, July.

Nick Upton / Phoenician Juniper (Juniperus phoenicea) with developing cones. Isle of Samos, Eastern Sporades, Greece, July.

Nick Upton / Developing cones of Phoenician Juniper (Juniperus phoenicea). Isle of Samos, Eastern Sporades, Greece, July.

Nick Upton / Developing cones of Phoenician Juniper (Juniperus phoenicea). Isle of Samos, Eastern Sporades, Greece, July.

Nick Upton / Phoenician Juniper (Juniperus phoenicea) with developing cones. Isle of Samos, Eastern Sporades, Greece, July.

Doug Perrine / Marble cone shell (Conus marmoreus) Restorf Island, Kimbe Bay, New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Bismarck Sea / Western Pacific Ocean (Non-ex).

Nick Upton / Azure winged magpie (Cyanopica cyana) perched at the top of a Mediterranean cypress tree (Cupressus sempervirens), Algarve, Portugal, June.

Oriol Alamany / White Spruce (Picea glauca) cones on the forest floor, Yoho National Park, Rocky Mountains, British Columbia, Canada

Mark Taylor / Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) eating seeds from its favourite food plant, the Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis), Western USA

Donald M. Jones / Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertina) female on pine cones, Troy, Montana

Sandra Bartocha / Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) Granzin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, October

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Scot's pine cone (Pinus sylvestris) in pinewood, Abernethy National Nature Reserve, Scotland, UK

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Scot's pine cone (Pinus sylvestris) on ground in pinewood, Abernethy National Nature Reserve, Scotland, UK

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Scot's pine cone (Pinus sylvestris) in pinewood, Abernethy National Nature Reserve, Scotland, UK, October

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Scots pine cone (Pinus sylvestris) in pinewood, Abernethy National Nature Reserve, Scotland, UK, October

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Scot's pine cone (Pinus sylvestris) in pineoowd, Abernethy National Nature Reserve, Scotland, UK, October. Did you know? As well as two national parks, Scotland has a further 47 National Nature Reserv...

Alan Williams / Siskin (Carduelis spinus) male feeding on Larch cone, North Wales, UK, March

Alan Williams / Lesser Redpoll (Carduelis cabaret) female, feeding on Larch cones, North Wales, UK, March

Peter Cairns / 2020VISION / Desmond Dugan of RSPB collecting pine cones for seed for native tree planting at Abernethy Forest, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, March 2012.

Peter Cairns / 2020VISION / Desmond Dugan of RSPB collecting pine cones for seed for native tree planting at Abernethy Forest, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, March 2012.

Peter Cairns / 2020VISION / Desmond Dugan of RSPB collecting pine cones for seed for native tree planting at Abernethy Forest, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, March 2012.

Colin Varndell / Great horsetail (Equisetum telmateia) spore cones, Dorset, UK, April

Guy Edwardes / 2020VISION / Female cone of European larch (Larix decidua). New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England, UK, March.

Erlend Haarberg / Male Red / Common crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) with cone in beak, Norway, October

Dave Watts / Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) showing male cones, Canberra Botanical Gardens, Australia, September. Critically endangered.

Ben Hall / Blue tit (Parus caeruleus) perched on pine cones in snowfall, Cheshire, UK February

George Sanker / North American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) on branch with pine cone in its mouth, USA, October

Laurie Campbell / Collection of fallen Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) cones, Abernethy Forest RSPB Reserve, Strathspey, Scotland, August

Laurie Campbell / Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) cone, Abernethy Forest RSPB Reserve, Strathspey, Scotland, June

Laurie Campbell / European larch (Larix decidua) branches bearing cones silhouetted at sunset, Berwickshire, Scotland, December

Adrian Davies / Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) cones on branch, UK, October

Adrian Davies / Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) cones on branch, UK, October

Florian Möllers / Corn (Zea mais / mays) cones bound together for drying. Pingyao, China, September.

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Close-up of cone formation of Scot's pine tree (Pinus sylvestris) Beinn Eighe NNR, Highlands, NW Scotland, UK, May

Mark Hamblin / 2020VISION / Close-up of cone formation of Scot's pine tree (Pinus sylvestris) Beinn Eighe NNR, Highlands, NW Scotland, UK, May

Philippe Clement / Stripped pine cones eaten by Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) on tree stump in forest. Belgium, April.

Ernie Janes / Caterpillar larva of Pine hawkmoth (Sphinx pinastri) amongst pine needles, UK