Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • Tucked away within the safety of a very spiny Mexican prickly poppy (Argemone mexicana), this Arabesque orbweaver patiently waits for prey to wander into its trap, lured by the bright yellow poppy above. This is one of the most common orbweavers found in North America, and the can be found all over the world. This one was found about 20 feet from the Rio Grande river on the US-Mexico border in Hidalgo County on a bright winter afternoon.
    Arabesque Orbweaver (Neoscona arabesca)
  • A wolf spider - one of one of the many variable (and often hard to correctly identify) wolf spiders of North America. I'm pretty sure this is the species known as Tigrosa annexa. This one was scrambling across some dead leaves and fallen Spanish moss in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge on a hot springtime afternoon near the US-Mexico border in Southern Texas, and paused for a brief second, just long enough for me to get this shot.
    Wolf Spider
  • Very cool-looking and unusual as far as your average orbweaver spider goes, the arrow-shaped orbweaver has a very bizarre and trianglular-shaped spiky abdomen. Harmless to humans, they can be found across most of the eastern half of the United States, the southern tip of Ontario and almost all of Mexico. This one was found in rural North-Central Florida along the banks of the Suwannee River.
    Arrow-shaped Orbweaver
  • Relatively common across the United States, Southern Canada and Northeastern Mexico, the bold jumping spider is easy to recognize. It is large for a jumping spider, is usually black and white (some of them have orange or red spots), but the most striking characteristic is the metallic green chelicerae (part above the fangs). This one was found actively hunting on a prickly pear cactus near Weslaco, Texas on a very hot summer afternoon.
    Bold Jumping Spider
  • A fantastic close-up of one of the many variable (and often hard to correctly identify) wolf spiders of North America, as it hunts during the daytime on a hot springtime afternoon in the Rio Grande Valley in the Southern tip of Texas. I'm pretty sure this is the species known as Hogna antelucana, but it also might be Tigrosa annexa. Both live in the area and have so much variation between individuals that it is hard to tell the two apart. Anyway, I took a few macro shots of this one and let it go on its merry way.
    Wolf Spider
  • A fantastic close-up of one of the many variable (and often hard to correctly identify) wolf spiders of North America, as it hunts during the daytime on a hot springtime afternoon in the Rio Grande Valley in the Southern tip of Texas. I'm pretty sure this is the species known as Hogna antelucana, but it also might be Tigrosa annexa. Both live in the area and have so much variation between individuals that it is hard to tell the two apart. Anyway, I took a few macro shots of this one and let it go on its merry way.
    Wolf Spider
  • High on the plateau north of Moab, Utah, this extremely feisty and aggressive little Beck's desert scorpion was found under a shaded rock on a hot summer day at the far northeastern end of its range. I had to consult a professional arachnologist for the correct ID of this species as far too many of these small desert species look very similar.
    Beck's Desert Scorpion (Paruroctonus..cki)
  • This most common of the orb weaver spiders found in Washington State, the cross orb weaver is found in a wide range of habitats. It has extremely variable markings and patterns, but they all have a white cross on the back of the abdomen. This large female was found eating its prey - some sort of flying insect - that she trapped in her web next to Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington on an early fall afternoon.
    Cross Orb Weaver
  • Close-up shot of a freshly-molted captive rose hair tarantula.
    Rose Hair Tarantula
  • A female common ground crab spider of the genus Xysticus (probably X. cristatus) guards her egg sac in the sagebrush desert in Central Washington's Ginkgo Petrified Forest. This drab brown crab spider is in stark contrast to those crab spiders often found camouflaged brightly with vivd colors among flowers, and relies on active hunting over ambush predation. Sadly, this spider will complete her life cycle and die naturally before her spiderlings hatch and disperse to renew the cycle of life, but for now they are well protected and cared for.
    Ground Crab Spider with Egg Sac
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 4
  • The mouse spider is a beautiful, velvety (hence the name) brown spider and accidental European import that has established itself across much of North America. This speedy predator does not use a web to catch prey, but rather prefers to chase down and overpower insects and other spiders. At less than an inch in length, this spider is completely harmless to humans, unless you are in fact the size of a cricket. This mature female was found under a rock between Ellensburg and Vantage, Washington while hunting for scorpions.
    Mouse Spider
  • The mouse spider is a beautiful, velvety (hence the name) brown spider and accidental European import that has established itself across much of North America. This speedy predator does not use a web to catch prey, but rather prefers to chase down and overpower insects and other spiders. At less than an inch in length, this spider is completely harmless to humans, unless you are in fact the size of a cricket. This mature female was found under a rock between Ellensburg and Vantage, Washington while hunting for scorpions.
    Mouse Spider
  • A great find! A subadult Texas tan tarantula is seen out in the open in broad daylight in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas on a hot autumn afternoon. These long-lived, gentle spiders are harmless to humans and can be found throughout most of Southeast Texas.
    Texas Tan Tarantula 1
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 1
  • Wind scorpions get their name because they are "fast like the wind". While related to scorpions, they fit into their own category or arachnids which also includes spiders. These highly aggressive solitary predators live in very dry, arid habitats where they hunt at night by actively zigzagging across across the ground or sand until they encounter and overpower an unfortunate insect, spider, scorpion or even the occasional lizard. Once pinned down with the two large front legs (pedipalps), the wind scorpion doesn't even wait to kill its prey. It will immediately start tearing into its meal with the two dark pincers near the mouth (they look like fangs) and devour it as quickly as possible, before the wind scorpion might in turn become the prey of some even larger predator. This one was stalked/chased and photographed in rural Cibola County, New Mexico, about 70 miles west of Albuquerque.
    Pale Windscorpion
  • A view of the lesser striped scorpion (Hoffmannius coahuilae) showing how well it blends in with its environment. Normally a burrowing species, this one was found under a rock and gently coaxing onto the top of this rock for this photograph before being gently placed safely back under its original rock.
    Lesser Stripetail Scorpion
  • The lesser striped scorpion (Hoffmannius coahuilae) is a small and somewhat high-strung burrowing scorpion found in the American Southwest. Although this one stung the stick I was using to position it for this photo about a dozen times, the venom is temporarily painful but certainly not dangerous.
    Lesser Stripetail Scorpion
  • This very common spider found throughout the woodlands of the American Southeast is often confused with two very similar but not closely related species - the mabel orchard spider (Leucange mabelae) and the venusta orchard spider (Leucange venusta). The easiest identification tool is the pattern on the back of the abdomen: it has three lines on the abdomen that run parallel only about halfway across the abdomen. Completely harmless to humans, it is most often encountered in gardens, woodlands and wetlands. This one was photographed in the Corkscrew Swamp outside of Naples, Florida.
    Orchard Spider (Leucauge argyra)
  • A great find! A subadult Texas tan tarantula is seen out in the open in broad daylight in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas on a hot autumn afternoon. These long-lived, gentle spiders are harmless to humans and can be found throughout most of Southeast Texas.
    Texas Tan Tarantula 2
  • A great find! A subadult Texas tan tarantula is seen out in the open in broad daylight in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas on a hot autumn afternoon. These long-lived, gentle spiders are harmless to humans and can be found throughout most of Southeast Texas.
    Texas Tan Tarantula 3
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 2
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 3
  • This most common of the orb weaver spiders found in Washington State, the cross orb weaver is found in a wide range of habitats. It has extremely variable markings and patterns, but they all have a white cross on the back of the abdomen. This large female was found eating its prey - some sort of flying insect - that she trapped in her web next to Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington on an early fall afternoon.
    Cross Orb Weaver
  • A tiny northern scorpion is discovered under a small rock in Central Washington State. Probably only a second or third instar, this almost half-inch fat little arachnid is just about ready to molt, judging by the darkening skin along its sides. When it does molt, it will shed its skin and a fresh, slightly larger scorpion will emerge.
    Baby Northern Scorpion (Paruroctonus..eus)
  • Huge female with distinctive "zig-zag" web under a shrub near Hickey's Creek in Lee County, Florida.
    Black-and-Yellow Garden Spider
  • A common orbweaver of thick hardwood forests of the American Southeast, this beautiful spider can be found as far north up the Atlantic coast as New England, and as far west as the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountain ranges. Harmless to humans, these spiders weave enormous webs between the trees and are responsible for keeping flying insect populations in check wherever they are found. This one was spotted in the trees in Goethe State Forest in Central Florida.
    Red-femured Orbweaver
  • This most common of the orb weaver spiders found in Washington State, the cross orb weaver is found in a wide range of habitats. It has extremely variable markings and patterns, but they all have a white cross on the back of the abdomen. This large female was found eating its prey - some sort of flying insect - that she trapped in her web next to Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington on an early fall afternoon.
    Cross Orb Weaver
  • Unexpectedly this whitebanded crab spider popped out of this buckthorn cholla cactus flower as I was photographing it in Southern Arizona's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on the US-Mexico border. These tiny spiders can take down  surprisingly big prey - much bigger than themselves, and this one was clearly well-fed. Bees were everywhere!
    Whitebanded Crab Spider
  • Easily North America's most common scorpion, the striped bark scorpion (Centruroides vittatus) is a medium-sized species found across most of the southern states and many of the states in Mexico. Perhaps one of the reasons for its geographical success is the fact that it can thrive in an amazing variety of habitats. It is found in deserts, grasslands, coniferous forests, deciduous forests and is found living under tree bark, rocks and any other suitable environment it can find. Unfortunately this is where it often is found among human habitation. Painful yet mostly harmless, this scorpion is not considered dangerous, unless you are a cricket, beetle or some other such small prey. This one was photographed in the Chihuahuan Desert's Guadalupe Mountains in NW Texas near the New Mexico border.
    Striped Bark Scorpion
  • Top view of the lesser striped scorpion (Hoffmannius coahuilae). I found this and about seven or eight others under rocks in the Guadalupe Mountains in Northwestern Texas.
    Lesser Stripetail Scorpion
  • The biggest black-and-yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) I've ever seen! This huge female was positioned on her massive orb web between a couple clumps of palmettos and some live oaks near Hickey's Creek in Alva, Florida.
    Black-and-Yellow Garden Spider
  • A beautiful specimen of an adult northern scorpion sits on a rock covered with brilliant teal-colored lichens in Central Washington State. This inch-and-a-quarter beauty is the most northern species of scorpion and is the only one found in the upper Pacific Northwest. Completely harmless to humans, the sting will burn and cause numbness, so caution is advised.
    Adult Northern Scorpion (Paruroctonu..eus)
  • This amazing member of the arachnid family is related to spiders and true scorpions, but is in a class of its own. I found this small yet vicious solifugid hiding under a rock in rural Clark County, Nevada about an hour east of Las Vegas.
    Pale Windscorpion
  • Wind scorpions get their name because they are "fast like the wind". While related to scorpions, they fit into their own category or arachnids which also includes spiders. These highly aggressive solitary predators live in very dry, arid habitats where they hunt at night by actively zigzagging across across the ground or sand until they encounter and overpower an unfortunate insect, spider, scorpion or even the occasional lizard. Once pinned down with the two large front legs (pedipalps), the wind scorpion doesn't even wait to kill its prey. It will immediately start tearing into its meal with the two dark pincers near the mouth (they look like fangs) and devour it as quickly as possible, before the wind scorpion might in turn become the prey of some even larger predator. This one was stalked/chased and photographed in rural Cibola County, New Mexico, about 70 miles west of Albuquerque.
    Pale Windscorpion
  • This easily identifiable fuzzy orbweaver spider is found commonly in thickly vegetated habitats where there are enough trees to support their large spiderweb traps and enough insects to keep them fed. Beautiful bold banding on the legs, bright red femurs and an obvious cross on the top of the abdomen make this beauty easy to tell apart from other orb weavers. This one was found deep in a jungle-like, mosquito-infested area in eastern Collier County near the Collier-Hendry border in Southwest Florida, but they can be found in most suitable areas of the Southeast, and as far north up the Atlantic coast as New England, and as far west as the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountain ranges.
    Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver