Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • 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
  • The American Southwest is well-known for its incredible rock formations that come in ever size, shape and color. Elephant Rock is one of these rock formations that is found in Nevada's oldest state park - Valley of Fire State Park.
    Elephant Rock
  • Often mistaken as a chipmunk, the white-tailed antelope squirrel is a common desert ground squirrel found acrosss most of the American Southwest including Baja California. They are diurinal, but escape the heat of the day in their burrows.
    White-tailed Antelope Squirrel
  • A white-tailed ground squirrel peeks out of its burrow among a pile of rocks in Southern Nevada. These tough little rodents live in very hot, dry environments, and get most of their moisture from their food which includes insects, seeds, fruits, cactus, grasses and even sometimes carrion.
    White-tailed Antelope Squirrel
  • Fiddlenecks growing in near the southern tip of Nevada in the Valley of Fire State Park. These are just the buds, before the small bright yellow flowers emerge, but I liked the way they looked enough to take this shot.
    Checker Fiddleneck
  • A single specimen of the canaigre dock grows in the sands of the Valley of Fire in Southern Nevada.
    Canaigre Dock
  • Purple sage is a sun-loving member of the mint family that is found in very dry areas of the extreme Southwestern United States. If you run your hands through the leaves, your hands will pick up a wonderfully minty scent. These were photographed<br />
 below a cave-hollowed cliff on Southern Nevada.
    Purple Sage
  • Close up of the purple sage, a desert member of the mint family that grows in full sun with little moisture.
    Purple Sage
  • One of my favorite places to photograph landscapes - Valley of Fire, Nevada.
    Valley of Fire
  • This very common species of cactus is spectacular in bloom with its showy display of fuchsia flowers in the spring, such as this beavertail cactus in full blossom in Southern Nevada.
    Beavertail Cactus
  • A red-eyed male Phainopepla hesitates for a second as I press the shutter in Southern Nevada on a chilly spring morning. This common bird to Mexico is frequently seen in the extreme lower southwestern United States.
    Phainopepla
  • I noticed this beautifully colored California barrel cactus on top of a ridge in the many canyons of Nevada's Valley of Fire as I was photographing the sunrise. The vivid color of the early morning light just lit up the rock and cactus with the most vivid, intense colors!
    California Barrel
  • Nevada's Valley of Fire is one of the most spectacular places in the United States. Unbelievably red sandstone canyons, rock formations and rare habitat-specific wildlife make for one of the very best places for a hike or hiking trip one could hope for.
    Into the Valley of Fire
  • Nevada's Valley of Fire is one of the most spectacular places in the United States. Unbelievably red sandstone canyons, rock formations and rare habitat-specific wildlife make for one of the very best places for a hike or hiking trip one could hope for.
    Into Valley of Fire - Black & White
  • Non-descriptive flowers are uncommon in nature. Green, barely-pink, or just brown, they stand out in the Valley of Fire in Southern Nevada. This plant contains a remarkable amount of tannins and has been used in making leather products.
    Canaigre Dock
  • This large-leaved plant took me by surprise in the deserts of Southern Nevada. The greenish-brown flowers and dark green leaves mark it as what is known locally as wild rhubarb. This plant contains a remarkable amount of tannins and has been used in making leather products.
    Canaigre Dock
  • After the first rains, these delicate spring bloomers can leave carpets of snowy white across the deserts of the Southwest, such as this one in Southern Nevada.
    Dune Evening Primrose
  • These absolutely beautiful springtime evening primroses stand out in sharp contrast against the red sands of Nevada's Valley of Fire, just east of Las Vegas.
    Dune Evening Primrose
  • The Valley of Fire in Southern Nevada is home to some of the most spectacular rock formations in the United States.
    Valley of Fire
  • A photograph from within a cave in Southern Nevada while hunting unsuccessfully for vinegaroons while climbing the cliffs in the area. I just arrived in time for perfect light!
    Inside the Cave...
  • This beautiful hedgehog cactus was photographed while hunting down desert quail to photograph in Southern Nevada in early April. I lucked out to find a freshly-opened flower in the early evening.
    Robust Hedgehog Cactus
  • The very common, yet beautiful desert marigold grows for most of the year anywhere that stays above freezing in the deserts of the Southwest. These were photographed. along the roadside just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is also called the showy desert marigold.
    Desert Marigold
  • Given its somewhat similar appearance and fragrance to an orange blossom (besides the four petals vs. the orange's five) the mock-orange is the State Flower of Idaho and is native to Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, British Columbia and Alberta. First collected by Meriwether Lewis himself on the famous Lewis and CLark expedition to find an overland route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, it was later named after him in his honor. This one was found growing halfway up a steep arroyo above the Cowiche Creek in Yakima County, WA.
    Mock-Orange
  • Edible Indian plums growing in a wooded area in Southern King County in Washington, ready to eat! These small native fruits grow west of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia to California. Caution is recommended as in all wild edibles, as the distinct flavor in these fruits (like that in almonds) comes from high amounts of hydrogen cyanide. Best practice - consume in moderation.
    Indian Plums
  • A common western member of the lily family photographed here in Northern Oregon, this plant was historically a critical food source many groups and tribes of North American native Americans. It is documented that Lewis and Clark depended on the cooked bulbous roots of this plant for survival on their historic journey to find an overland route to the Pacific Ocean.
    Common Camas
  • The Japanese honeysuckle is an Asian import that has found its way into the wild into most of the continental United States excluding Oregon, the Rocky Mountain states and the Great Plains. It can also be found in parts of Ontario, Canada. This beautiful honeysuckle was in full bloom in a small wooded area in Kent, Washington.
    Japanese Honeysuckle
  • The Japanese honeysuckle is an Asian import that has found its way into the wild into most of the continental United States excluding Oregon, the Rocky Mountain states and the Great Plains. It can also be found in parts of Ontario, Canada. This beautiful honeysuckle was in full bloom in a small wooded area in Kent, Washington.
    Japanese Honeysuckle
  • The Nootka rose is a beautiful member of the rose family that is found over much of the American west coast (excluding Arizona) from Alaska to New Mexico, and is only limited to British Columbia in Canada.
    Nootka Rose
  • The common red elderberry is found throughout most of North America, excluding the Gulf coastal plain and the states of South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas. Not as often used as it once was in the past, elderberries are known to make fantastic jellies and wines. Caution should be used before consuming them - unless properly cooked, elderberries can cause nausea in most people, and the leaves and bark contain toxic compounds that produce arsenic. This one was found and photographed in a small wooded area just south of Seattle, Washington.
    Red Elderberry
  • This invasive weed in now established in nearly all of North America, and is a member of the often-overlooked plantain family.
    English Plantain
  • Sometimes the beauty is in the details. This delicate and stunning red clover was photographed in a field full of wildflowers and bees on a late spring morning just south of Seattle, Washington. As an early European export for feeding animals, this member of the pea family is now found growing wild in nearly all parts of North America.
    Red Clover
  • One of the many species of wild roses in the Pacific Northwest, the Wood's rose is a water-loving summer-bloomer, often found growing near lakes, ponds, and streams. This was photographed next to a pond in Kent, Washington.
    Wood's Rose