Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • This stocky female black bear was photographed above Spray Falls above Mount Rainier's Lake Mowich on one of the final days of summer. Although she had two large cubs with her, she was so preoccupied with the wild blueberries she was gorging on that she didn't seem to mind me nearby. I had a hard time figuring out if she was a grizzly, mainly because of the large shoulder hump, but the size of the ears and flat facial profile prove that she is the common black bear (yes - they are often brown!) and is probably better described as the subspecies known as a cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) found in the Pacific Northwest.
    Black Bear
  • The little bear beetle is a type of scarab beetle associated with apple and pear orchards in the dry parts of Washington, Oregon and California. This one rests in an antelope bitterbrush bush in the sagebrush desert in Central Washington.
    Little Bear Beetle
  • The metalic green underside of a little bear beetle in sagebrush country near the Columbia River in Kittitas County, Washington.
    Little Bear Beetle
  • A hairy pair of little bear beetles rest in an antelope bitterbrush bush in the sagebrush desert in Central Washington.
    Little Bear Beetles
  • 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
  • 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
  • Early morning photograph of a native Mojave yucca in its natural habitat on a cool spring morning in Mojave Desert in Southern California. These are often found growing among the Mojave's iconic Joshua trees - another member of the same genus.
    Mojave Yucca
  • Photographed slightly from above, this Mojave yucca in the Mojave desert was historically a very important resource for the Native Americans who lived here. The tough yet pliable fibers in the leaves (needles) after beating them to break them apart were braided together to make rope, sandals, and woven together to make cloth.
    Mojave Yucca
  • This Mojave yucca is about to burst into an amazing bouquet of flowers in Joshua Tree National Park in the late morning sunlight of gorgeous April day.
    Mojave Yucca
  • Closeup of the flowers of the Mojave yucca in the late afternoon golden light in Southern California. These flowers are pollinated at night by the Yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella), a species that depends on this plant for its survival. Not only will the moth  gather pollen, but she will lay her eggs in the ovaries of the flowers, and the larvae will feed directly on the developing fruit of the flowers, leaving some of the seeds to mature for the next generation of yucca plants.
    Mojave Yucca Flowers
  • A Mojave yucca in Southern California's Mojave desert shows already blossomed, flowers, closed flowers, and new buds late in the afternoon.
    Mojave Yucca
  • Historically important as a source of basket-making material for Native Americans, the common beargrass (seen here on Oregon's Larch Mountain) is found over much of the Pacific Northwest.
    Common Beargrass
  • Found throughout the higher elevations of the Cascades and Rocky Mountain ranges, the common beargrass is a summer-blooming member of the lily family, particularly common in the sub-alpine elevations.
    Common Beargrass
  • Not really a honeysuckle but a member of the acanthus family, the desert honeysuckle is frequently visited by hummingbirds. This one was found growing next to a field in Patagonia, Arizona.
    Desert Honeysuckle
  • 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
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • The Cholla Cactus Garden is located in the Pinto Basin in Southern California's Joshua Tree National Park. These teddybear chollas are quite beautful to see in  person, but beware: I bumped into one of them and pieces broke off as my arm came into contact with the hooked needles causing a suprising amount of pain! Good thing I happened to have a pair of pliers on me to pull them out!
    Teddybear Cholla Cactus Garden
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. These were found and photographed<br />
growing (without touching) in the open Sonoran Desert in the Picacho Peak Wilderness Area in Southern California's rural Imperial County.
    Teddybear Chollas
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. These were found and photographed<br />
growing (without touching) in the open Sonoran Desert in the Picacho Peak Wilderness Area in Southern California's rural Imperial County.
    Teddybear Chollas
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Close-up view of the teddybear cholla in flower. This common and impressive native cactus of the American Southwest is found Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, as well as most of Northern Mexico. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Close-up view of the teddybear cholla in flower. This common and impressive native cactus of the American Southwest is found Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, as well as most of Northern Mexico. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Early April in the Joshua Tree National Park is a great time for photographing blooming cacti. Some parts of the Mojave contain vast groves of certain species, such as this teddybear cholla, which will seemingly burst into flower all at once, creating a brightly colorful paradise in the middle of the desert.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • High-key, classic soft focus photograph of a teddybear cholla blossom while shooting in California's Mojave Desert. It was a blindingly bright afternoon so I didn't have a lot of shooting options, but I'm glad I made time for this one.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Although the teddybear colla fruits readily and often heavily, these fruits are usually sterile. The prime method of reproduction is the easily detachable sections of the cactus that are removed by an unfortunate passing animal or a strong wind. Uun dropping to the ground, new roots will bore into the ground starting a new cactus, restarting the cycle.
    Teddybear Cholla Fruits
  • Closeup detail of a blooming teddybear cholla in the Mojave Desert. Nothing says "be careful" like this impenetrable mass of bristling spines, each of which packs a mind-numbing whallop!
    Teddybear Cholla
  • It's been discoved that these highly-dense covering of pale spines not only deter animals from eating it, but also reflect heat, keeping the cactus cool and shaded at the same time.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Here is a full-sized teddybear cholla in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. New fresh spines are off-white and as dense as fur (someone decided to make the teddybear comparison, hence the common name), and as the section ages, it turns darker to eventually black. You can see in this photo that the top half is heavily laden with fruit.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • This young(er) teddybear cholla in Joshua Tree National Park is still mostly covered with fresh spines, all pale, dense, and waiting for a passerby to touch it, enabling a piece to be broken off and carried off to start another plant as soon as it touched the ground. I was unfortunate enough to have a piece stuck to my bare calf, then had my hand stuck to it as I tried to pull it off of me. It was shockingly painful, much more so than any other California cactus I happened to get pricked by.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Closeup detail of a blooming teddybear cholla in the Mojave Desert. These bright canary-yellow blossoms are about the size of a lemon with green stalks and pistils, bright yellow anthers, and a rose-pink highlings on the outside of the petals.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Northern Olympic Mountains of Washington along the Sol Duc River.
    Black Huckleberry
  • The black huckleberry is considered by many to be the prize of the mountain berries. These juicy, sweet member of the blueberry family are found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean (with a few isolated locations eastward) and have been enjoyed by wildlife and humans for millennia. This official state fruit of Idaho is a particularly important food source for grizzly and black bears, and traditionally the Native Americans have been eating them in dozens of different ways: fresh, dried, smoked, crushed up in soups or mixed with salmon roe - to name a few. These huckleberries were photographed (then eaten) just below the tree line at the edge of a subalpine meadow in the North Cascades National Park, near the Canadian border in Washington State.
    Black Huckleberry
  • 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
  • These bison are a part of a free-ranging, currently publicly-owned herd of wild bison (commonly and incorrectly called buffalo) on Antelope Island, Utah that number upwards of 700 or more individuals. The habitat is perfect, as there are no wolves, bears or other apex predators, and the only limit to population is the amount of land that can support them.
    Utah's American Bison - The Purest i..ica?
  • Ranging from toxic to poisonous to humans and several species of animals - particularly fish, the common snowberry is an important food source for wildlife. Moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorns will readily eat the foliage, while bears birds, rabbits and other small mammals can safely eat the waxy white berries. This snowberry bush was found growing next to the Green River about 20 miles south of Seattle, Washington on a warm summer day.
    Snowberry2020-3.jpg
  • Ranging from toxic to poisonous to humans and several species of animals - particularly fish, the common snowberry is an important food source for wildlife. Moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorns will readily eat the foliage, while bears birds, rabbits and other small mammals can safely eat the waxy white berries. This snowberry bush was found growing next to the Green River about 20 miles south of Seattle, Washington on a warm summer day.
    Snowberry2020-2.jpg
  • Ranging from toxic to poisonous to humans and several species of animals - particularly fish, the common snowberry is an important food source for wildlife. Moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorns will readily eat the foliage, while bears birds, rabbits and other small mammals can safely eat the waxy white berries. This snowberry bush was found growing next to the Green River about 20 miles south of Seattle, Washington on a warm summer day.
    Snowberry2020-1.jpg
  • Rocky Coulee is one of the many thousands of coulees in the area around Vantage, Washington that is essentially drainage route that hasn't really quite become an official "creek" but can occasionally carry running water with rain or snowmelt. This particular one in Whiskey Mountain area is absolutely beautiful in the springtime with its explosion of wildflowers including balsamroots, bitterroots, hedgehog cacti, lupine, wild onion, larkspur and many more! Also found at various times in the year: bighorn sheep, bears, elk, all kinds of game birds and birds of prey, and even some spawning salmon at the right time of year!
    Down into the Coulee
  • The common snowberry is a found throughout most of central and northern North America and is most commonly seen in lower-elevations mountainous forests where it can form immense thickets. Although it is a staple food source for many birds and mammals such as deer, bears, and bighorn sheep, all parts of the plant and fruit are somewhat toxic to humans if eaten in quantity, although many native tribes used them medicinally. Only the Sqauxin Indians of the Olympia, Washington area are reported to have eaten them regularly. These were found and photographed in the Mercer Sough of Bellevue, Washington.
    Common Snowberry
  • The common snowberry is a found throughout most of central and northern North America and is most commonly seen in lower-elevations mountainous forests where it can form immense thickets. Although it is a staple food source for many birds and mammals such as deer, bears, and bighorn sheep, all parts of the plant and fruit are somewhat toxic to humans if eaten in quantity, although many native tribes used them medicinally. Only the Sqauxin Indians of the Olympia, Washington area are reported to have eaten them regularly. These were found and photographed in the Mercer Sough of Bellevue, Washington.
    Common Snowberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Northern Olympic Mountains of Washington along the Sol Duc River.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Northern Olympic Mountains of Washington along the Sol Duc River.
    Black Huckleberry
  • The black huckleberry is considered by many to be the prize of the mountain berries. These juicy, sweet member of the blueberry family are found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean (with a few isolated locations eastward) and have been enjoyed by wildlife and humans for millennia. This official state fruit of Idaho is a particularly important food source for grizzly and black bears, and traditionally the Native Americans have been eating them in dozens of different ways: fresh, dried, smoked, crushed up in soups or mixed with salmon roe - to name a few. These huckleberries were photographed (then eaten) just below the tree line at the edge of a subalpine meadow in the North Cascades National Park, near the Canadian border in Washington State.
    Black Huckleberry
  • Glacier lilies are an important source of food for many animals in the American west. The leaves and bulb-like structures (corms) are rich in nutrients and are eaten by deer, bears, bighorn sheep, elk and several rodents such as ground squirrels. Native Americans have long used the leaves as a (or part of) salad and eat the corm either boiled or fresh. This was photographed<br />
 on the eastern side of Washington's Cascades Mountain Range.
    Glacier Lily
  • One of the more interesting plants found growing in the Pacific Northwest is the yellow skunk cabbage - also know as the western skunk cabbage or swamp lantern. These stinky water-loving plant blooms in the late spring and early summer in wet bogs or swamps and actually produces enough heat to melt snow away from it. Bears are known to eat the roots after their winter slumber to induce a laxative-like effect. While it is potentially toxic to humans, the native peoples of the Pacific Northwest used the large leaves (largest in the PNW) for lining the insides of baskets and for wrapping salmon before cooking them.
    Yellow Skunk Cabbage
  • A beautiful specimen of the rare and very local Chattahoochee River wakerobin not yet in flower popping up through the forest floor near the river that bears it's name. This was photographed in North Florida, very near tri-state border with Alabama and Georgia and was photographed around Thanksgiving.
    Chattahoochee River Trillium (Trilli..ens)