Leighton Photography & Imaging

  • Home
  • Website
  • About
  • Portfolio
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • How to Download
  • Galleries
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
Next
118 images found
twitterlinkedinfacebook

Loading ()...

  • Everglades daisy photographed in the dry season of the Big Cypress National Preserve. Look for them in large numbers in the spring!
    Everglades Daisy
  • Barred owl in the oldest and largest mahogany hammock in the Florida Everglades. When still, it can be easily overlooked because of its camouflaged pattern - like this one almost was!
    Everglades Barred Owl
  • Extreme close-up of an adult alligator's mouth in the Florida Everglades.
    Gator Teeth
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • A pair of baby gray squirrels peeks from their nest in the Florida Everglades. Gray squirrels are perhaps the most adaptable and hardy of all modern squirrel species, and can thrive in the most diverse kinds of habitat. Not only increasing their range in North America, but are beginning to spread into other continents too, wiping out or displacing native populations.
    Baby Eastern Gray Squirrels
  • Very young hatchling alligator in the Shark River Valley of the Florida Everglades. Singled out of a clutch of about thirty chirping babies, this one sat still enough for me to get this image, until the mother appeared and gave me a direct warning to leave them alone.
    Baby Alligator
  • This near-perfect example of a Palamedes swallowtail was photographed deep in the Shark River region of the Florida Everglades. Found from coastal Virginia to Eastern Texas it is found throughout all of Florida.
    Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palam..des)
  • The setting sun deep in the Florida Everglades.
    Sunset over the Pay-Hay-Okee
  • Alligator close-up in the Everglades National Park.
    American Alligator
  • The prickly pineland acacia growing in the Everglades National Park. This plant can be a "surprise" while trying to travel through the rough spots in the 'Glades! Ouch!
    Pineland Acacia
  • Deering's partridge pea growing in the Everglades National Park, where they will flower year-round.
    Florida Keys Sensitive Pea
  • Alligator close-up in the Everglades National Park.
    American Alligator
  • Alligator close-up in the Everglades National Park.
    American Alligator
  • This fast little warbler was seen in the Florida Everglades foraging along the edge of a pond.
    Palm Warbler
  • Eastern ribbon snake lunching on a treefrog in the Florida Everglades. Just in the right place at the right time for this shot!
    Eastern Ribbon Snake
  • Prairie milkweed growing out of the marl of a dried-up bog in the Everglades National Park near Long Pine Key. These draw all kinds of butterflies!
    Prairie Milkweed
  • A cormorant dries its wings at Everglades National Park. Since they do not have waxy feathers, this enables an incredible underwater mobility which is used to chase down and catch fish, but in return results in waterlogged plumage that needs to air dry.
    Double-Crested Cormorant
  • Double-crested cormorant with beautiful turquoise eyes during breeding season, Florida Everglades.
    Double-Crested Cormorant
  • Costa Rican ladies'-tresses hidden deep in the Florida Everglades. These tiny orchids are nearly impossible to find among the hardwoods.
    Costa Rican Ladies'-tresses (Beloglo..sis)
  • A tri-colored heron stalking its prey in the Florida Everglades.
    Tricolored Heron
  • Little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) close-up in the Florida Everglades.
    Little Blue Heron
  • A juvenile grey squirrel cautiously watches from the safety of height and distance in a tree in the Fakahatchee Strand - part of the Northern Everglades near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile Grey Squirrel
  • This baby alligator is probably only a couple of months old where it basks in the late afternoon sunlight in the Shark River Valley of the Florida Everglades. Notice the bold black and yellow camouflage pattern - this will help hide it in its early years from hungry herons, storks, otters, raccoons and other hungry predators in the swamps until it turns the tables and begins to hunt the same animals that once used to hunt it!
    Baby Alligator Close-up
  • Great blue heron with crest in the Florida Everglades.
    Great Blue Heron
  • Great blue heron portrait in the Florida Everglades.
    Great Blue Heron
  • Great blue heron close-up in the Florida Everglades. These huge wading birds ore often found at the water's edge hunting frogs and fish.
    Great Blue Heron
  • Great blue heron close-up shot with tongue sticking out in the Florida Everglades. Who knew herons had such long tongues?
    Great Blue Heron
  • Butterfly orchids in flower deep in the heart of the Florida Everglades. These were found growing in a cypress dome - which dot the vast sea of sawgrass.
    Butterfly Orchid (Encyclia tampensis)
  • Simpson's grass-pink orchid growing in a prairie in the Florida Everglades. The height of these orchids makes them easy to spot over these vast grasslands.
    Simpson's Grass-Pink (Calopogon tube..nii)
  • A beautiful cluster of cardinal airplants in bloom growing in a cypress tree in the Florida Everglades near Homestead. These endangered epiphytes are often visited by hummingbirds.
    Cardinal Airplant (Tillandsia fascic..ata)
  • Alligator swimming in the Everglades National Park.
    American Alligator
  • Palm warbler in the Florida Everglades. These tiny and delightful winter visitors are often seen looking for food in the grass and palmettos.
    Palm Warbler
  • The exotic and unusual alligator lily growing out of a swampy region in the Florida Everglades. These flowers are freshly opened, and naturally have this "ragged" edge.
    Alligator Lily
  • The stunning oceanblue morning glory growing on the edge of a hardwood hammock in the Florida Everglades on the Anhinga Trail.
    Oceanblue Morning-Glory
  • Great blue heron on the lookout in the Florida Everglades.
    Great Blue Heron
  • The beautiful and multi-hued green heron in the Florida Everglades National Park.
    Green Heron
  • This orchid was found by a friend of mine in the Everglades National Park, who asked me to identify it for him and sent me the GPS coordinates. I rarely do this, in my determination to find the orchids I photograph myself, but sometimes there are exceptions - mainly because I hadn't yet seen the other rare vanilla he thought it might be. The distinct orange leafless plant was a dead giveaway to the worm-vine, or leafless vanilla. This flower was almost opened, but not quite.
    Worm-vine Orchid (Vanilla barbellata)
  • Close-up of the butterfly orchid deep in the Florida Everglades in Miami-Dade County.
    Butterfly Orchid (Encyclia tampensis)
  • Simpson's grass-pink orchid  in the Florida Everglades. This is a subspecies of the common grass-pink, and is slightly larger with wider leaves. It is only found south of Lake Okeechobee.
    Simpson's Grass-Pink (Calopogon tube..nii)
  • Julia butterfly in the Florida Everglades near Homestead.
    Julia
  • This very wary 7-8-foot adult American alligator is poised to launch itself out from under the cocoplum bushes if I wade any closer deep in the wilderness of the Big Cypress National Preserve in Southwest Florida. As part of the Northern Everglades watershed, this area is very rural, there is often no dry land for miles. No help either in case of an emergency.
    American Alligator in the Big Cypress
  • In some parts of the Fakahatchee Strand in the northwestern Florida Everglades, it is very common to wade into areas heavily populated with alligators - especially if there are floating logs with sunshine for them to bask in. I managed to get quite close to this one. While alert, it stayed calm as long as I moved slowly and stayed low in the water with it.
    Juvenile Alligator
  • The threatened Bahama senna in full flower near Long Pine Key in the Florida Everglades, where it is still a common shrub, but has a very limited range.
    Bahama Senna
  • A crocodile on a canal bank in Flamingo on the southern tip of peninsular Florida on the edge of the Keys and the Everglades. Note the flat and long head - much different than an alligator.
    American Crocodile
  • Mangrove roots at dusk in Chokoluskee, Florida with the Ten Thousand Islands just beyond.
    Chokoloskee Mangroves
  • Dawn in the Big Cypress National Preserve in the Gator Hook Strand.
    Big Cypress Sunrise
  • The incredibly spikey purple thistle is a very common and often very tall wildflower seen in any disturbed areas in all of Florida, this one on Long Pine Key.
    Purple Thistle
  • Extreme close-up of the detail of a wild American alligator.
    American Alligator
  • The very pretty flowerbud of the purple thistle about to open in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails of Collier County, Florida.
    Purple Thistle
  • This young alligator is probably close to its first birthday judging by the size and yellow banding on the tail and body. At this stage, it is no longer hunted by storks, herons, and raccoons and before long they will in turn become the prey. This clearly well-fed youngster was found sunning in the Fakahatchee Strand in Collier County, Fl.
    Alligator Yearling
  • This orchid always eludes me, but this evening I found two, but I was too early by about a week to see it in flower. There is always next year ....
    Spurred Neottia (Eltroplectris neottia)
  • Close-up of these tiny tropical orchid's flowers.
    Costa Rican Ladies'-tresses (Beloglo..sis)
  • Barred owl perched on a branch in the Fakahatchee Strand. This owl let us get quite close to it for this photograph!
    Fakahatchee Barred Owl
  • Barred owl perched on a branch in the Fakahatchee Strand. This owl let us get quite close to it for this photograph!
    Fakahatchee Barred Owl
  • A squirrel treefrog (individuals can change their color from green to brown based on their environment) found among the cypress knees in the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida. These frogs are most active at night.
    Squirrel Treefrog
  • Double-crested Cormorant
  • Sunrise in the Big Cypress National Preserve.
    Misty Morning
  • Open prairie in the Big Cypress National Preserve. This is a wonderland for nature photographers, as it is loaded with all kinds of wildlife and rare plants.
    Big Cypress National Preserve
  • The incredibly spiky purple thistle is a very common and very tall wildflower seen in many disturbed areas in all of Florida. It is a great food source for many types of butterflies.
    Purple Thistle
  • A beautiful red-shouldered hawk perched in a bald cypress tree in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Red-Shouldered Hawk
  • Pale red-shouldered hawk photographed in the late afternoon sunlight at the edge of the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Pale Red-Shouldered Hawk
  • The exotic and beautiful coral bean can be found all over Florida, and most often seen in or near forests or wooded areas.
    Coral Bean
  • Florida Everglades. Absolutely Beautiful!!!
    Florida Everglades
  • These wild southern fox grapes, also more popularly known as muscadine grapes, are the wild and natural progenitors of the commercially important and harvested varietal grapes used for making jams and wines. These wild grapes were photographed in Southwest Florida's Fakahatchee Strand - where I regularly snack/gorge on them during the summer when they are are their peak ripeness in the swamps. Delicious!
    Wild Grapes of the Florida Everglades
  • Deep in the remote wilderness between the Florida Everglades and Lake Okeechobee in South Florida there is a wildly disturbed area, that once was part of the  great Everglades watershed system, but now is mostly drained from human activity, water management, and citrus and sugarcane farming leaving behind a vast tangle of dry wilderness where there are few people, roads or even access (for the faint of heart). One part of this vast landscape that still does carry water south is the Okaloacoochee Slough. In pockets of this region, you can still find survivors hanging on for dear life, such as this northern needleleaf bromeliad, which was found way off the highway in a rare dome of bald cypress trees. This was the first time I'd ever seen one so far north, and it looked healthy and ready to bloom!
    Northern Needleleaf (Tillandsia balb..ana)
  • A pair of native Florida redbelly cooters bask in the sun just outside of Miami in the Florida Everglades. These small river turtles reach about 12 inches in length and are found only in Florida, except a couple places on the southern border in Georgia.
    Florida Redbelly Cooters
  • A southeastern lubber grasshopper in the Fakahatchee Strand (in the northwestern part of the Florida Everglades) does what grasshoppers do best - eat vegetation!
    Southeastern Lubber Grasshopper
  • Eventually the King of the Florida Everglades ends up getting eaten. This alligator met its demise in the Fakahatchee Strand, and provided a meal, ready to eat for this black vulture. Without carrion birds such as this to keep the ecosystem clean from decay and rot, very little of the habitat would be safe for wildlife.
    Black Vulture
  • This massive yet common airplant in the wilder parts of the Florida Everglades blooms in the winter among the cypress groves and hammocks of the swamps.
    Cardinal Airplant
  • The bright yellowish-green patch on the cypress trunk consists of Chrysothrix candelaris, a species of crustose lichen. The greyish-white lichen is Cryptothecia evergladensis, a different type of crutose lichen. This tree with both species is growing in the Fakahatchee Strand of the Northwestern Everglades.
    Two Lichens
  • Close-up of an adult female anhinga in the Florida Everglades, near Homestead. There is very clear sexual dimorphisnm in the anhinga: males have a mostly uniform black head and next (besides breeding plumage) while the female had a very pale brown to beige neck and head.
    Female Anhinga
  • Related to pelican and cormorants, this male anhinga is in full breeding plumage in the Florida Everglades. Common along the wetlands of the Gulf Coast on the United States, this fish-specialist is widely scattered across Central America and can be found throughout the whole of the Amazon River Basin in South America.
    Male Anhinga
  • An osprey sits patiently in its nest in the Florida Everglades while its mate is off hunting.
    Osprey in Nest
  • An osprey in flight over Everglades National Park.
    Osprey in Flight
  • The endangered and highly variable Florida tree snail found on Long Pine Key in the Florida Everglades. Each one has a unique pattern or in this case, lack of a pattern.
    Florida Tree Snail
  • The endangered and highly variable Florida tree snail found on Long Pine Key in the Florida Everglades.
    Florida Tree Snail
  • This member of the Amanita mushroom family was found growing in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida's Western Everglades. This emerging American Caesar's mushroom is a rare exception to a family of lethally poisonous mushrooms that are responsible for 90% of mushroom-related deaths around the world. This one is known to be be both edible and tasty.
    American Caesar's Mushroom
  • This member of the Amanita mushroom family was found growing in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida's Western Everglades. This emerging American Caesar's mushroom is a rare exception to a family of lethally poisonous mushrooms that are responsible for 90% of mushroom-related deaths around the world. This one is known to be be both edible and tasty.
    American Caesar's Mushroom
  • This incredible orchid has a long history of being taken from the wild for the orchid trade. There are stories of single plants weighing hundreds of pounds being pulled out of the Everglades by the wagon load. These days, small ones are difficult to find.
    Cigar Orchid (Cyrtopodium punctatum)
  • Lubber grasshopper nymphs doing what they do best in the Everglades ... devouring foliage.
    Southeastern Lubber Grasshopper Hatc..phs)
  • This large beautiful canna was found unexpectedly growing in the Corkscrew Swamp. It is native to Florida and often found in the Everglades.
    Golden Canna
  • Swamp lilies growing deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. In the summertime, these can be found just about anywhere there is standing water in the Florida Everglades.
    Swamp Lilies
  • Swamp mallows are a very common member of the hibiscus family in the Everglades, as seen here in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Swamp Mallow
  • Blue-eyed grass wildflowers growing in the Everglades National Park. These great little flowers can be found all over South Florida growing in and around the wetlands.
    Blue-Eyed Grass
  • The potbelly airplant growing in the Everglades National Park. The thick, firm leaves are covered in a silvery fuzz, and are identified by their twisting leaves, and cardboard-like texture.
    Potbelly Airplant (Tillandsia paucif..lia)
  • Broad-winged hawk in the Florida Everglades. I had to chase him through a very muddy patch of swamp, but it was worth it for this shot.
    Broad-Shouldered Hawk
  • A blue jay pauses briefly in the Florida Everglades just west of Homestead.
    Blue Jay
  • An adult male anhinga in breeding plumage drying his wings in the Florida Everglades near Homestead. Because anhingas don't have the oil glands found in other aquatic birds like ducks, gulls, swans, etc, when they come out of the water, they will need to dry their wings in order to fly. The advantage of not having this seeming important oil so essential to buoyancy is that when underwater, the anhinga becomes an extremely fast and agile swimmer and a very efficient fish hunter. Throughout the Gulf Coast, this is a very typical sight: an anhinga perched above water,  wings spread drying in the wind and heat.
    Male Anhinga
  • Also known as the snakebird, the anhinga is a common fish-eating bird found along the coasts and interior of Florida. This female was perched at the base of an old bald cypress in the heart of the Sweetwater Strand of the Florida Everglades.
    Female Anhinga
  • Related to pelican and cormorants, this male anhinga is in breeding full plumage in the Florida Everglades. Common along the wetlands of the Gulf Coast on the United States, this fish-specialist is widely scattered across Central America and can be found throughout the whole of the Amazon River Basin in South America.
    Male Anhinga
  • Related to pelican and cormorants, this male anhinga is in breeding full plumage in the Florida Everglades. Common along the wetlands of the Gulf Coast on the United States, this fish-specialist is widely scattered across Central America and can be found throughout the whole of the Amazon River Basin in South America.
    Male Anhinga
  • An osprey in flight over Everglades National Park.
    Osprey in Flight
  • American Alligator in the Sweetwater Strand area of the Florida Everglades. This was taken in the beginning of mating season, when they tend to get a little aggressive.
    American Alligator
  • A pollinated night-fragrant epidendrum orchid bears fruit deep in the Big Cypress National Preserve in the northern Florida Everglades. Still visible are the dried remains of the flower hanging at the tip of the fruit.
    Night-fragrant Epidendrum
  • One of the most striking and common of the medium-sized dragonflies of the Florida Everglades, the Halloween pennant gets its name from its banded bright orange and brown wings. Known for a butterfly-like flying pattern, this summertime dragonfly is found in most of Eastern and Central North America.
    Halloween Pennant
  • This distant relative to the pineapple is endangered in the wild in North America. Confined to a few remaining counties in locations far out into the Florida Everglades and Puerto Rico, it is listed as a threatened species. Major concerns for this species are habitat loss and an invasive exotic weevil (Metamazius callizona) found in South Florida that kills it. Luckily this species is also native to Brazil, Venezuela and Bolivia, where populations are more stable. This one was photographed in SW Florida's Fakahatchee Strand. Look closely and you will see it sharing a limb with native zig-zag orchid (Epidendrum rigidum) in this submerged pond apple tree.
    West Indian Tufted Airplant (Guzmani..hia)
Next