Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • Garry oak leaves in the sagebrush desert just outside of Yakima, Washington. This attractive tree is native to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia and is depended upon by many different species of wildlife for their survival, such as the western gray squirrel, Lewis woodpecker, and slender billed nuthatch.
    Garry Oak Leaves
  • This beautiful teal-green bullseye lichen was found growing in the Oak Creek Wildlife Recreation Area just west of Yakima, Washington. If you look closely, you can see the small fleshy fruiting bodies in the center of each lichen that will eventually release its spores to propagate the next generation. This region of the Pacific Northwest is very dry and rocky, and most of the basalt surfaces are covered in multiple types of lichen.
    Bullseye Lichen
  • While mostly harmless to humans (they might bite is self-preservation), robber flies are fierce ambush predators that wait perch patiently for a flying insect to fly by, then launch into the air, overpower then dispatch their prey mid-flight. They hunt grasshoppers, bees, wasps, butterflies and even other flies! This one was found hunting in the Oak Creek State Wildlife Area, just outside of Yakima, Washington on a hot, late-spring day.
    Robber Fly (Efferia sp.)
  • Dense foliage grows in the riparian parts of White Pass near Naches, Washington along the Tieton River. Here you can find several types of sage, bitterbrush, ponderosa pine, Oregon white oak, rare cactus and a profusion of wildflowers in the springtime.
    White Pass in Central Washington 1
  • This attractive yellow non-native member of the mustard family is originally from Europe and North Africa, but is commonly found  nearly everywhere in North America, with the exception of Alabama and Labrador. This one was found growing in the rural sagebrush desert area between Yakima, Washington and the Cascade Mountains.
    Tumble Mustard
  • One of the more common lizards of the West Coast of North America, this one was found in its northernmost part of its range in Central Washington, by the bank of the Tieton River on a chilly late spring morning.
    Western Fence Lizard
  • Augochlora sweat bee feeding on the abundant nectar of a grizzlybear prickly pear cactus while collecting pollen in Central Washington.
    Augochlora Sweat Bee on Grizzlybear ..Pear
  • Unusual variety of the grizzlybear prickly pear cactus (Opuntia columbiana) near Naches, WA showing unusual flower size and particularly long white spines.
    Grizzlybear Prickly Pear
  • Unusual variety of the grizzlybear prickly pear cactus (Opuntia columbiana) near Naches, WA showing unusual flower size and particularly long white spines.
    Grizzlybear Prickly Pear
  • I found this beautifully blue and violet lowly penstemon (also known as low beardtongue or and lowly beardtongue) in a dry canyon on the eastern side of Washington's Cascade Mountains  in White Pass surrounded by very many of the closely related showy penstemon. Something seemed odd about them at first until I finally realized it was a different species.
    Lowly Penstemon
  • Volcanic basalt cliffs, steep slopes and sagebrush steppe pretty much define Central Washington's White Pass. Springtime turns the typical brown desert landscape into a green paradise attracting a plethora of wildlife to the region.
    White Pass in Central Washington 2
  • Extremely dry and arid throughout the year, White Pass in Central Washington experiences a boom in greenery as spring turns into summer.
    White Pass in Central Washington 3
  • These exceptionally fast fliers feed on insects that they catch in flight, and can often be seen at dawn or dusk in great numbers performing incredible aerobatics in huge numbers over ponds, lakes, and open areas where there are lots of flying insects. This was one of a pair that were circling me as I wound my way up a risky trail up a steep basalt cliff just south of Naches, Washington.
    Violet-Green Swallow
  • One of the most frustrating of all birds to get on camera, the violet-green swallow is an extremely fast, small swallow found in all western American states, most of Mexico, and British Columbia and the Yukon in Canada. This one paused for a lucky second halfway up a rocky cliff wall in a canyon west of Yakima, Washington.
    Violet-Green Swallow
  • Brightly colored, yet perfectly camouflaged, the somewhat rare canyon wren blends in perfectly with the lichen encrusted basalt cliffs of White Pass, above the Tieton River.
    Canyon Wren
  • Occasionally heard in remote canyons and rocky cliffs, but seldom seen, this curious canyon wren stayed with me for some time as I wound my way up a narrow trail up the steep basalt cliffs of White Pass near Naches, Washington.
    Canyon Wren
  • This small daisy is found at lower elevations in the drier, rocky parts of Central and Eastern Washington and Oregon. It is closely related to other similar aster species found in the same region but at higher elevations. This one was found with many others growing from a crack in a basalt canyon rock wall outside of Naches, Washington just west of Yakima.
    Dwarf Golden Daisy
  • Common Yarrow is one of the most common members of the aster family in all of the northern hemisphere. This one was photographed up close in the desert scrub in the Yakima, Washington area.
    Common Yarrow
  • Unusual variety of the grizzlybear prickly pear cactus (Opuntia columbiana) near Naches, WA showing unusual flower size and particularly long white spines.
    Grizzlybear Prickly Pear
  • Unusual variety of the grizzlybear prickly pear cactus (Opuntia columbiana) near Naches, WA showing unusual flower size and particularly long white spines.
    Grizzlybear Prickly Pear
  • Unusual variety of the grizzlybear prickly pear cactus (Opuntia columbiana) near Naches, WA showing unusual flower size and particularly long white spines.
    Grizzlybear Prickly Pear
  • Unusual variety of the grizzlybear prickly pear cactus (Opuntia columbiana) near Naches, WA showing unusual flower size and particularly long white spines.
    Grizzlybear Prickly Pear
  • I found this beautifully blue and violet lowly penstemon (also known as low beardtongue or and lowly beardtongue) in a dry canyon on the eastern side of Washington's Cascade Mountains  in White Pass surrounded by very many of the closely related showy penstemon. Something seemed odd about them at first until I finally realized it was a different species.
    Lowly Penstemon
  • The mighty Tieton River as it flows out out the Cascade Mountains and through White Pass on it's way to Naches, Washington.
    Tieton River
  • Purple sage beautifully backlit as the morning sun creeps over the canyon ridge in White Pass, just south of Naches, Washington.
    Purple Sage
  • A mixed bumblebee (Bombus mixtus) is busily feeding on the nectar of wild purple sage in the sagebrush steppe of White Pass, a dry desert-like canyon west of Yakima, Washington.
    Mixed Bumblebee
  • The violet-green swallow is a jewel when it comes to the birds found in the Pacific Northwest. Intensely green and purple plumage stand out in sharp contrast to the snow-white breast, cheeks, flanks and belly. Unfortunately it was early morning here and I wasn't able to get a shot of the feathers in the sunlight.
    Violet-Green Swallow
  • An acmon blue butterfly pauses for a moment on an antelope-brush on a chilly late spring morning in Central Washington, just south of Naches.
    Acmon Blue Butterfly
  • Yellow salsify is a tall, single-flowering non-native European import commonly found in the drier parts of the North America, excluding much of the American Southeast. The flowers are known for their unusual habit of closing in the middle of the day. This one was photographed early in the morning near the banks of the Tieton River, just south of Naches, Washington.
    Yellow Salsify
  • Yellow salsify is a non-native, European import and relative to chicory commonly found in the drier parts of the North America, excluding much of the American Southeast. This one was photographed near the banks of the Tieton River, just south of Naches, Washington.
    Yellow Salsify
  • A herd of Rocky Mountain elk rest in the sagebrush desert on a sunny winter day east of Mount Rainier near the Tieton River in  Washington State. The large antlered bull stands guard as his harem of females relax and get some rest.
    Rocky Mountain Elk - Bull and Harem
  • 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