We are delighted that, thanks to the Read & Publish Open Access agreement between The Company of Biologists and The University of Tokyo, our paper was made freely available without any delay. For an early‑career researcher like myself, being able to share my work rapidly with colleagues around the globe is invaluable. This seamless process has given me even greater motivation to submit future work to JEB. Thank you too for planting a tree in The Forest of Biologists to mark our publication.

