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)
77 images found
twitterlinkedinfacebook

Loading ()...

  • A pair of pileated woodpeckers in Fort Myers, Florida. One cannot mistake them for anything else in the wild. When drumming on trees, it literally sounds like a jackhammer!
    Pileated Woodpecker
  • A male anhinga dries his wings in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida after a long day of fishing.
    Anhinga
  • The brown anole is a member of the spiny lizard family and native to Cuba and the Bahamas. Common, and invasive to the United States, it is spreading north from the Florida Keys, and in a little more more than a century it has established itself as far north as Georgia and as far west as Texas in recent years. The problem with this particular species is that it is outcompeting the native and less aggressive green anole, with the additional pressure of adult male brown anoles having been known to prey on young green anoles. This particular individual resting on a  banana tree in Fort Myers, Florida is a female. Males tend to be larger and more boldly patterned. Anolis
    Brown Anole
  • This is one of the strangest things ever .... six wild boars roamed into our suburban Fort Myers, Florida yard and had a blast rolling in the dried up, muddy canal in the back yard. I was out there with my cameras and a couple of lenses, and it was the first time I was able to get close to them. In fact - some got so close that I couldn't get a clear shot because I was using a zoom lens! Then I did something dumb. I put out my hand to see if one would come close enough for me to be able to say I actually touched a wild boar. Four of them let me scratch them and leaned into me like a pet dog would! They loved it! It was incredible!!!! I have since then been called the "Pig Whisperer" as a result.
    Wild Boar
  • Huge streaked sphinx moth found on a stucco wall at night in Fort Myers, Fl.
    Streaked Sphinx
  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • Sunset photographed in Bonita Springs, Florida in June 2009. It was one of those strange evening skies that was incredibly colorful and busy. Glad I was out working that night!
    Bonita Springs Sunset
  • Osprey spreading its wings on top of a dead tree in Punta Rassa, Florida. Beautiful!!!
    Magnificent Osprey
  • Lover's Key in Lee County. Just in the right spot at the right time.
    Lover's Key
  • A close-up of a snowy egret in Punta Rassa, Florida. This little shorebird had to be gradually crept up upon to get this shot. Eventually, it was so close that was literally inches from my leg, making my zoom lens useless!
    Snowy Egret
  • Bald eagle with massive nest in the Estero Bay Preserve in SW Florida. Can you see the dark brown baby poking its head out of the nest?
    Bald Eagle with Chick
  • Male pileated woodpecker concentrating on finding insects under the bark of the melaleuca tree in Lee County, Florida.
    Pileated Woodpecker
  • Tricolored heron photographed in Punta Rassa, Florida. It was a long wait for it to turn sideways into the sunlight. Frustrating shot!
    Tricolored Heron
  • This odd looking orchid is very common in Southwest Florida and for years I didn't even know it was an orchid, but rather some strange fungus in my flowerbeds. The gentian noddingcaps flourishes in damp eucalyptus or cypress mulch - where summer rains keep it hot and steamy.
    Gentian Noddingcaps (Triphora genian..des)
  • Butterfly orchid growing in a tree in Lee County, Fl. This is by far the most commonly encountered epiphytic orchid found in South Florida.
    Butterfly Orchid (Encyclia tampensis)
  • Bald eagle flying overhead in the Estero Bay Preserve in Lee County, Florida.
    Bald Eagle in Flight
  • A wild bald eagle keeping a watchful eye on its nest in the Estero Bay Preserve in SW Florida.
    Bald Eagle and Nest
  • Bald eagle in Lee County, Fl near the Estero River. I got completely shredded by briars while getting close enough for this shot!
    Bald Eagle
  • Pigs are pigs - and this boar just went hog wild in a mud puddle in Lee County, Florida.
    Wild Boar
  • Wild boar patiently watched - camera in hand - until it came up to investigate.
    Wild Boar
  • Bald eagle flying overhead in the Estero Bay Preserve in Lee County, Florida.
    Bald Eagle in Flight
  • Lawn orchid found growing in Fort Myers, Florida but not in a completely wild location. This one along with about five others appeared in one of my cultivated orchid pots on my front porch!
    Lawn Orchid (Zeuxine strateumatica)
  • Starting off as a grey-to-greenish lichen from the humid subtropical and tropical swamps of the American Southeast and southwards, the Christmas lichen develops an unusual and surprisingly bright pigment that becomes red or hot pink on the bark or dead wood of water-loving trees such as bald cypress. This patch was found on a cypress tree growing in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida between Naples and Fort Myers.
    Christmas Lichen
  • This very interesting polypore mushroom (also known as a shelf or bracket mushroom) is native to Asia but has recently been found growing in the wild in Florida and Texas in wetland habitats, where they can get quite large. This one growing in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida was almost twelve inches across!
    Trametes lactinea-3
  • This very interesting polypore mushroom (also known as a shelf or bracket mushroom) is native to Asia but has recently been found growing in the wild in Florida and Texas in wetland habitats, where they can get quite large. These were found growing in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Trametes lactinea-2
  • Common in ponds and lakes all over Florida and eastern North America, this native spadderdock is often confused with the water lily, and is found as far north as Nova Scotia. The difference between spadderdock and true water lilies is that spadderdock has heart-shaped leaves and small, half-opened flowers and water lilies have round leaves and large showy flowers. This one was found growing in a lake in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Spadderdock2021-1.jpg
  • 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. This one was photographed in the middle of Fort Myers, Florida.
    Anhinga
  • Also known as the snakebird, the anhinga is a common fish-eating bird found along the coasts and interior of Florida and as far south as the Southern Amazon in Brazil. This female is in full breeding plumage on a warm spring day in Fort Myers, Florida. Note that beautiful blue eye-ring!
    Female Anhinga
  • Also known as the snakebird, the anhinga is a common fish-eating bird found along the coasts and interior of Florida and as far south as the Southern Amazon in Brazil. This female is in full breeding plumage on a warm spring day in Fort Myers, Florida. Note that beautiful blue eye-ring!
    Female Anhinga
  • 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 seemingly 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. This adult male was photographed in the Six-mile Cypress Slough in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Male Anhinga
  • 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
  • Sunset at Hickey's Creek in Alva, Fl. This was spectacular! Absolutely the best place for long hikes near Fort Myers!
    Sunset at Hickey's Creek
  • Male pileated woodpecker in a melaleuca tree in Fort Myers, Florida. The male has red feathers on the cheeks and from the crown of the head to the beak.
    Pileated Woodpecker
  • Blue flag iris growing in the Six-Mile Cypress Slough in Lee County, in the middle of Fort Myers, Florida.
    Blue Flag Iris
  • Starting off as a grey-to-greenish lichen from the humid subtropical and tropical swamps of the American Southeast and southwards, the Christmas lichen develops an unusual and surprisingly bright pigment that becomes red or hot pink on the bark or dead wood of water-loving trees such as bald cypress. This patch was found on a cypress tree growing in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida between Naples and Fort Myers.
    Christmas Lichen
  • This large shade-loving epiphytic fern is native to the tropical eastern coasts of the Americas and the Caribbean Islands. Going by a variety of common names such as golden polypody, golden serpent fern, cabbage palm fern, gold-foot fern, blue-star fern, hare-foot fern and rabbit's foot fern Phlebodium aureum is commonly grown as a houseplant. This one was found growing at the base of a bald cypress tree deep in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida's Collier County between Naples and Fort Myers.
    Golden Polypody
  • Also known as the grassy arrowhead, the grass-leaved arrowhead is a common native aquatic member of the water plantain family found all over eastern Canada and the United States, and across the southwestern states. It is found in marshes, swamps and along the sides of lakes and rivers with muddy soils, and can reach about 6 feet in height. This one was found growing in the Six Mile Cypress Sough in Fort Myers, Florida on a chilly fall evening.
    Grass-leaved Arrowhead (Sagittaria g..nea)
  • This very interesting polypore mushroom (also known as a shelf or bracket mushroom) is native to Asia but has recently been found growing in the wild in Florida and Texas in wetland habitats, where they can get quite large. These were found growing in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Trametes lactinea-6
  • This very interesting polypore mushroom (also known as a shelf or bracket mushroom) is native to Asia but has recently been found growing in the wild in Florida and Texas in wetland habitats, where they can get quite large. This one growing in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida was almost twelve inches across!
    Trametes lactinea-4
  • This very interesting polypore mushroom (also known as a shelf or bracket mushroom) is native to Asia but has recently been found growing in the wild in Florida and Texas in wetland habitats, where they can get quite large. These were found growing in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Trametes lactinea-5
  • This very interesting polypore mushroom (also known as a shelf or bracket mushroom) is native to Asia but has recently been found growing in the wild in Florida and Texas in wetland habitats, where they can get quite large. These were found growing in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Trametes lactinea-1
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting among the trees insects in Southwest Florida's Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, in Fort Myers on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-5
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting among the trees insects in Southwest Florida's Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, in Fort Myers on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-7
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting among the trees insects in Southwest Florida's Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, in Fort Myers on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-6
  • Common in ponds and lakes all over Florida and eastern North America, this native spadderdock is often confused with the water lily, and is found as far north as Nova Scotia. The difference between spadderdock and true water lilies is that spadderdock has heart-shaped leaves and small, half-opened flowers and water lilies have round leaves and large showy flowers. This one was found growing in a lake in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Spadderdock2021-2.jpg
  • Eggs of one of the species of Pomacea apple snails found in Florida, only the Florida apple snail (Pomacea paludosa) is native. The four non-native species are the island apple snail, channeled apple snail, spike-topped apple snail, and the titan apple snail. Since the eggs of each species can vary in color and size among the same species, it's hard to tell which one these belong to. This cluster of eggs was found in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Apple Snail Eggs
  • A reddish egret hunts for fish and crustaceans on Bunche Beach in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Reddish Egret
  • This tiny little songbird is constantly on the move. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before. I was lucky enough to catch this one during it's 2-3 second rest in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  • This tiny little songbird is constantly on the move. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before. I was lucky enough to catch this one during it's 2-3 second rest in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  • The rosary pea is an invasive vine from Asia and Australia that has found a home in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas. While these "peas" may be useful in many shaker-percussion instruments, the black and red fruits are highly toxic. One ingested pea had the potential to be fatal to a healthy adult. This cluster of rosary peas was found in a suburban neighborhood in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Rosary Pea
  • An adult Cuban treefrog actively hunting late at night for prey among the foliage in Fort Myers, Florida. These aggressive and voracious natives to Cuba, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas are wreaking havoc among Florida's native species of treefrogs, and are outcompeting them in terms of resources and habitat.
    Cuban Treefrog
  • An adult Cuban treefrog actively hunting late at night for prey among the foliage in Fort Myers, Florida. These aggressive and voracious natives to Cuba, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas are wreaking havoc among Florida's native species of treefrogs, and are outcompeting them in terms of resources and habitat.
    Cuban Treefrog
  • Related to pelicans and cormorants, this male anhinga is in full breeding plumage in a freshwater lake in Fort Myers, Florida. 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 pelicans and cormorants, this male anhinga is in full breeding plumage in a freshwater lake in Fort Myers, Florida. 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
  • 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 seemingly 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. This one was photographed in the middle of Fort Myers, Florida.
    Anhinga
  • Related to pelican and cormorants, this adult male anhinga in non-breeding plumage perches above a lake in Fort Myers, Florida. 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
  • Rocks, cypress stumps and other watery perches are the perfect place for anhingas to keep an eye out for fish, and to stay relatively safe from hungry alligators, crocodiles, wildcats and larger birds of prey. This adult female was photographed from the shore of a lake in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Female Anhinga
  • Because the anhinga lacks the oils for buoyancy in its feathers like other birds, and it has a heavier skeleton than other diving birds, the swimming anhinga is completely submerged except for its head and long flexible neck, earning it the common nickname, "snakebird." This one was spotted in a bream-rich lake in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Anhinga
  • Also known as the snakebird, the anhinga is a common fish-eating bird found along the coasts and interior of Florida and as far south as the Southern Amazon in Brazil. This female is in full breeding plumage on a warm spring day in Fort Myers, Florida. Note that beautiful blue eye-ring!
    Female Anhinga
  • Also known as the snakebird, the anhinga is a common fish-eating bird found along the coasts and interior of Florida and as far south as the Southern Amazon in Brazil. This female is in full breeding plumage on a warm spring day in Fort Myers, Florida. Note that beautiful blue eye-ring!
    Female Anhinga
  • Also known as the snakebird, the anhinga is a common fish-eating bird found along the coasts and interior of Florida and as far south as the Southern Amazon in Brazil. This female is in full breeding plumage on a warm spring day in Fort Myers, Florida. Note that beautiful blue eye-ring!
    Female Anhinga
  • 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 beautifully lit palm warbler pauses on a papaya branch on a crisp, sunny winter day in Fort Myers, Florida. These tiny warblers can weigh up to .4 ounces, yet spend their summers in Canada as far north as the Arctic Circle, and travel all the way to the coastal Southeast every winter.
    Palm Warbler
  • This gorgeous knight anole was found in Fort Myers, Florida clinging to a melaleuca tree, and was the second I had seen in this area. These highly aggressive and largest of Florida's anoles are native to Cuba and have spread into South Florida. Anolis
    Knight Anole
  • Female pileated woodpecker in a melaleuca tree in Fort Myers. This huge woodpecker is often seen in forests and woodlands all over Florida.
    Pilated Woodpecker
  • Waterlilies growing in a pond in North Fort Myers, Fl.
    Waterlily
  • The beautiful Florida violet growing in the sand of a pine scrub in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails near Fort Myers, Florida.
    Florida Violet
  • An eastern tiger swallowtail rests on a pond cypress limb in the early morning light, gathering the warmth it will need to power up its flight muscles in the Six-Mile Cypress Slough in Fort Myers, Fl.
    Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio g..cus)
  • Osprey pair in a nest with young chicks in an Australian pine on Fort Myers Beach, Florida.
    Osprey Pair in Nest
  • A member of nature's clean-up crew, the black vulture is a very important and necessary part of keeping the environment healthy and beautiful. This one was photographed in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black Vulture