Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • Close-up of the non-venomous banded watersnake - often confused with the venomous cottonmouth. Unfortunately many of these beautiful snakes are killed for this confusion and misidentification.
    Banded Watersnake
  • A banded watersnake resting on a submerged log in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Banded Watersnake
  • These wonderfully beautiful aquatic snakes are non-venomous fish hunters and are most often seen sunning themselves on fallen logs near freshwater ponds and marshes all over the southeast. This particular subspecies, the Florida watersnake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris) was found on a chilly November evening catching the last rays of the day on a pile of old sticks in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Banded Watersnake
  • These wonderfully beautiful aquatic snakes are non-venomous fish hunters and are most often seen sunning themselves on fallen logs near freshwater ponds and marshes all over the southeast. This particular subspecies, the Florida watersnake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris) was found on a chilly November evening catching the last rays of the day on a pile of old sticks in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Banded Watersnake
  • This aquatic snake is very commonly seen in the Florida Everglades. This one was photographed while I was stalking a hawk. I saw this from the corner of my eye and took this shot.
    Banded Watersnake
  • Side image of the California kingsnake showing the distinct black and white bands of this native colubrid. These markings have made it a prized species for the pet trade world-wide.
    California Kingsnake
  • The desert woodpecker! This small woodpecker is often seen throughout the American Southwest where it hunts among the cactus and mesquite for insects, larvae and cactus fruit in the one place you might not expect to find woodpeckers thriving. This secretive woodpecker can be found anywhere from the dry American states south to Central America, but you'll most likely hear them rather than see them. Patience afforded me this unexpected sight in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in South Texas near the US-Mexico border.
    Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates ..ris)
  • Found primarily around the western half of North America, and more concentrated toward the Pacific Coast, this attractive little looper moth (Protitame subalbaria) with no common name was found next to a creek in a small aspen-filled canyon in the middle of the sagebrush desert near Ellensburg, Washington.
    Protitame subalbaria-1.jpg
  • A Northwestern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) in strike pose after being caught then released among the ponderosa pines in the Eastern Cascade Mountains in Central Washington. Had I known at the time how highly venomous these particular rattlers were compared to other North American rattlesnakes I might have thought twice. Interestingly, the rattle sounded more like a cicada than your typical warning.
    Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
  • As close as I dare in front of an angry  four-foot kingsnake. I dropped to my belly about two feet in front of it and got this shot as it was just about to strike. This was my first snake of the day on this outing to Southern California.
    California Kingsnake
  • This rather aggressive kingsnake was seen hunting through the fallen palm fronds of the Coachella Valley Oasis in Southern California. After spotting it, it took a few tries to catch it, and upon release it reared nicely for me in this strike pose.
    California Kingsnake
  • One of Florida's most beautiful hairstreaks - the tiny red-banded hairstreak is found often in rural fields and oak hammocks.
    Red-Banded Hairstreak
  • Armadillo photographed in Paynes Prairie State Park, Alachua County, Fl. Armadillos have very poor eyesight, and this one was photographed from a sitting position on the ground. A few stomps on the ground with a boot sent this timid little critter almost into my lap before it finally saw me!
    Nine-banded Armadillo
  • This native mariposa lily is found in all of the western states and British Columbia in Canada. It is found  mostly on eastern slopes of the Cascades where the climate is drier, most often in the higher elevation steppes and grasslands.
    Sagebrush Mariposa Lily
  • A closeup of the sagebrush mariposa, photographed here in Southern Washington along the dry rocky bluffs over the Columbia River Gorge.
    Sagebrush Mariposa Lily
  • 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
  • The red-shanked grasshopper is a large member of the banded-winged grasshoppers found throughout most of the western United States Mexico, and north into the Canadian Prairies. It prefers open, arid grasslands and prairies where it feeds on a number of grasses and sedges. It is easily recognized by its bold pattern and red rear feet. When threatened, it will take a long "jump" as it flies to a nearby locations with a loud buzzing noise called crepitation. As it flies, it will reveal momentarily its beautiful yellow wings. This one was stalked/chased and photographed near the El Malpais National Monument in Cibola County, New Mexico.
    Red-shanked Grasshopper-2
  • The red-shanked grasshopper is a large member of the banded-winged grasshoppers found throughout most of the western United States Mexico, and north into the Canadian Prairies. It prefers open, arid grasslands and prairies where it feeds on a number of grasses and sedges. It is easily recognized by its bold pattern and red rear feet. When threatened, it will take a long "jump" as it flies to a nearby locations with a loud buzzing noise called crepitation. As it flies, it will reveal momentarily its beautiful yellow wings. This one was stalked/chased and photographed near the El Malpais National Monument in Cibola County, New Mexico.
    Red-shanked Grasshopper-1
  • The red-shanked grasshopper is a large member of the banded-winged grasshoppers found throughout most of the western United States Mexico, and north into the Canadian Prairies. It prefers open, arid grasslands and prairies where it feeds on a number of grasses and sedges. It is easily recognized by its bold pattern and red rear feet. When threatened, it will take a long "jump" as it flies to a nearby locations with a loud buzzing noise called crepitation. As it flies, it will reveal momentarily its beautiful yellow wings. This one was stalked/chased and photographed near the El Malpais National Monument in Cibola County, New Mexico.
    Red-shanked Grasshopper-3
  • The nylon hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus viridiflorus var. cylindricus) is native subspecies of the green-flowering hedgehog cactus, and is found in a narrow band stretching from the Big Bend of Texas and Mexico to southern New Mexico, and is mainly found in the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas. It has distinct creamy orange flowers and shows extreme variability in spine color: white, yellow, brown, reddish, black. Some plants have only short radials while other have a variable number of centrals. This one was photographed in the Big Bend National Park near the Rio Grande.
    Nylon Hedgehog Cactus
  • A band of pronghorn does look nervously toward a photographer on a mountain bike far out in the Pawnee National Grasslands on the plains of northeastern Colorado. Known to be the second fastest animal in the world (the cheetah is first), the pronghorn is the only surviving modern member of the mammal family (Antilocapridae) in North America. Evolved to outrun the now extinct American cheetah, the pronghorn has still retained its speed.
    Pronghorns!
  • The nylon hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus viridiflorus var. cylindricus) is native subspecies of the green-flowering hedgehog cactus, and is found in a narrow band stretching from the Big Bend of Texas and Mexico to southern New Mexico, and is mainly found in the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas. It has distinct creamy orange flowers and shows extreme variability in spine color: white, yellow, brown, reddish, black. Some plants have only short radials while other have a variable number of centrals. This one was photographed in the Big Bend National Park near the Rio Grande.
    Nylon Hedgehog Cactus
  • The nylon hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus viridiflorus var. cylindricus) is native subspecies of the green-flowering hedgehog cactus, and is found in a narrow band stretching from the Big Bend of Texas and Mexico to southern New Mexico, and is mainly found in the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas. It has distinct creamy orange flowers and shows extreme variability in spine color: white, yellow, brown, reddish, black. Some plants have only short radials while other have a variable number of centrals. This one was photographed in the Big Bend National Park near the Rio Grande.
    Nylon Hedgehog Cactus
  • The nylon hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus viridiflorus var. cylindricus) is native subspecies of the green-flowering hedgehog cactus, and is found in a narrow band stretching from the Big Bend of Texas and Mexico to southern New Mexico, and is mainly found in the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas. It has distinct creamy orange flowers and shows extreme variability in spine color: white, yellow, brown, reddish, black. Some plants have only short radials while other have a variable number of centrals. This one was photographed in the Big Bend National Park near the Rio Grande.
    Nylon Hedgehog Cactus
  • The nylon hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus viridiflorus var. cylindricus) is native subspecies of the green-flowering hedgehog cactus, and is found in a narrow band stretching from the Big Bend of Texas and Mexico to southern New Mexico, and is mainly found in the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas. It has distinct creamy orange flowers and shows extreme variability in spine color: white, yellow, brown, reddish, black. Some plants have only short radials while other have a variable number of centrals. This one was photographed in the Big Bend National Park near the Rio Grande.
    Nylon Hedgehog Cactus
  • The Texas rainbow cactus usually has a single stem, but may branch when older. Large yellow flowers bloom in the spring from the upper portions of the stem. The stem may have bands of tan, reddish or brown spines, giving it a rainbow appearance. This one was found and photographed in West Texas in the Chihuahuan Desert lowlands just north of the Chisos Mountains.
    Texas Rainbow Cactus
  • The Texas rainbow cactus usually has a single stem, but may branch when older. Large yellow flowers bloom in the spring from the upper portions of the stem. The stem may have bands of tan, reddish or brown spines, giving it a rainbow appearance. This one was found and photographed in West Texas in the Chihuahuan Desert lowlands just north of the Chisos Mountains.
    Texas Rainbow Cactus
  • 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
  • An American snout moth resting on a fern on West Tiger Mountain in Washington. These common moths are found across much of North America, but when they are found in more northern mountainous regions, the bold patterns tend to have less contrast and blend together rather than show distinct bands.
    American Snout
  • 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