Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • The pale meadow beauty is a regular spring and summer wildflower in the freshwater wetlands of southern Florida. This one was found in the Estero Bay Preserve of Lee County.
    Pale Meadow Beauty
  • This puffball mushroom is very common and I see them all over the Southeast. This is just an example of  the beauty that Ive been walking past so frequently while looking for the big picture. Sometimes the beauty really is in the details!
    Pear-Shaped Puffball
  • This puffball mushroom is very common and I see them all over the Southeast. This is just an example of  the beauty that I've been walking past so frequently while looking for "the big picture". Sometimes the beauty really is in the details!
    Pear-Shaped Puffball (Lycoperdon pyr..rme)
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    Salal Berries
  • orchid, native, terrestrial, beautiful, beauty, natural, nature, botany, orchid, plant, flower, Orchidaceae,  beautiful, beauty, bloom, blooming, blooms, blossom, blossoms, botany, bud, color, field, flora, floral, flower, flowers, fresh, green, macro, natural, nature, plant, plants, terrestrial, wild, wildflowers, flora, wild, bog candles, Platanthera dilatata, Platanthera dilatata var. albiflora, Plantae, Tracheophytes, Angiosperms, Monocots, Asparagales, Orchidaceae, Orchidoideae, Platanthera, Platanthera dilatata, Habenaria dilatata, Limnorchis dilatata, Orchis dilatata, Piperia dilatata, tall white bog orchid, bog orchid, white, green, Monocot, Orchidaceae, Perennial, Forb, herb, scent bottle, bog candle, boreal bog orchid, white orchid, white rein orchid, Platanthera dilatata var. albiflora, white bog-orchid, leafy white orchis, scentbottle
    Platanthera dilitata var. albiflora-...jpg
  • orchid, native, terrestrial, beautiful, beauty, natural, nature, botany, orchid, plant, flower, Orchidaceae,  beautiful, beauty, bloom, blooming, blooms, blossom, blossoms, botany, bud, color, field, flora, floral, flower, flowers, fresh, green, macro, natural, nature, plant, plants, terrestrial, wild, wildflowers, flora, wild, bog candles, Platanthera dilatata, Platanthera dilatata var. albiflora, Plantae, Tracheophytes, Angiosperms, Monocots, Asparagales, Orchidaceae, Orchidoideae, Platanthera, Platanthera dilatata, Habenaria dilatata, Limnorchis dilatata, Orchis dilatata, Piperia dilatata, tall white bog orchid, bog orchid, white, green, Monocot, Orchidaceae, Perennial, Forb, herb, scent bottle, bog candle, boreal bog orchid, white orchid, white rein orchid, Platanthera dilatata var. albiflora, white bog-orchid, leafy white orchis, scentbottle
    Platanthera dilitata var. albiflora-...jpg
  • Also known as heal-all, self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) is a beautiful member of the mint family common all over much of North America all the way up to the Arctic Circle as an important medicinal plant. It is used for a variety of uses in many countries across the globe: it can be eaten fresh as a salad or cooked in soups and stews, a refreshing tea or as a olive-green dye. Medicinally, it is used for the treatment of wounds, ulcers, sores and is known to have antibacterial properties. This beauty was found in full flower in an old-growth forest in the Woodard Bay Conservation Area just outside of Olympia, Washington.
    Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris)
  • Common in most of the western United States and Canada, the arrowleaf balsamroot is a member of the sunflower and aster family (hence the sunflower resemblance) and has a historical significance to the various tribes and peoples of the American West as a source of food and medicine. The large root can be baked or steamed as a good source of carbohydrates. The stems can be peeled and eaten, and even the seeds are a great source for both nutrients and calorie-rich oils. These beautiful examples this springtime beauty were photographed on a beautiful spring day just outside of Yakima, Washington.
    Arrowleaf Balsamroot
  • Common in most of the western United States and Canada, the arrowleaf balsamroot is a member of the sunflower and aster family (hence the sunflower resemblance) and has a historical significance to the various tribes and peoples of the American West as a source of food and medicine. The large root can be baked or steamed as a good source of carbohydrates. The stems can be peeled and eaten, and even the seeds are a great source for both nutrients and calorie-rich oils. These beautiful examples this springtime beauty were photographed on a beautiful spring day just outside of Yakima, Washington.
    Arrowleaf Balsamroot
  • As far as moths go, most of the smaller ones are pretty much drab and forgettable. Not the the red-fringed emerald. With a beautiful emerald green coloration with ruby red highlights and details, This one-inch beauty caught my eye as I was it resting on some wood one afternoon in Tallahassee, Florida. This moth can be found across much of the eastern half of North America from Florida to New Brunswick in the Canadian Maritimes west to Ontario to Texas back down in the south.
    Red-fringed Emerald Moth
  • Not really a park, Spray Park is a mountainous region above Mount Rainier's Mowich Lake that comprises some of the most beautiful and spectacular subalpine meadows and beauty the Pacific Northwest has to offer. In midsummer, the sheer numbers of wildly colorful wildflowers, glacier views, and abundant wildlife make the long steep climb completely worth the effort. It's a purely magical place!
    On the Spray Park Trail
  • A beautiful specimen of an adult northern scorpion sits on a rock covered with brilliant teal-colored lichens in Central Washington State. This inch-and-a-quarter beauty is the most northern species of scorpion and is the only one found in the upper Pacific Northwest. Completely harmless to humans, the sting will burn and cause numbness, so caution is advised.
    Adult Northern Scorpion (Paruroctonu..eus)
  • 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
  • huckleberry, Angiosperms, background, beautiful, beauty, berry, berries, botany, color, edible, Eudicots, field, flora, flower, flowers, food, food source, fresh, fruit, green, native, natural, nature, plant, Plantae, plants, red, ripe, spring, summer, sweet, tasty, Washington, wild, wildflowers, yummy, flora, forage, foraging, red, Vaccinium parvifolium, red blueberry, red huckleberry, Ericaceae, heath, deciduous, shrub, Plantae, Angiosperms, Eudicots, Asterids, Ericales, Ericaceae, Vaccinium, V. parvifolium, Vaccinium parvifolium, Dicot, Ericaceae, Perennial, red bilberry, red whortleberry, red huckleberry, red whortleberry, red, edible, tasty, foraging
    Red Huckleberry-10
  • A California tortoiseshell butterfly photographed in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park on a hot summer day. This West Coast member of the brushfoot family of butterflies is a real beauty, and can be found mostly anywhere in the United States from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, and sometimes further east in search of its favorite larval food source, buckbrushes.
    California Tortoiseshell
  • The perfectly camouflaged underwings hide the brilliantly orange and black-pattered dorsal side of a California tortoiseshell butterfly, photographed here in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park. This West Coast member of the brushfoot family of butterflies is a real beauty, and can be found mostly anywhere in the United States from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, and sometimes further east in search of its favorite larval food source, buckbrushes.
    California Tortoiseshell (Underwing ..iew)
  • Native to the Rocky Mountains, this high-elevation beauty is called queen's crown, and can be found in damp subalpine to alpine wet meadows in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. This succulent was blooming in profusion at about 12,000 feet above sea level just east of Aspen, Colorado on the Continental Divide on a chilly midsummer day.
    Queen's Crown
  • Native to the Rocky Mountains, this high-elevation beauty is called queen's crown, and can be found in damp subalpine to alpine wet meadows in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. This succulent was blooming in profusion at about 12,000 feet above sea level just east of Aspen, Colorado on the Continental Divide on a chilly midsummer day.
    Queen's Crown
  • Native to the Rocky Mountains, this high-elevation beauty is called queen's crown, and can be found in damp subalpine to alpine wet meadows in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. This succulent was blooming in profusion at about 12,000 feet above sea level just east of Aspen, Colorado on the Continental Divide on a chilly midsummer day.
    Queen's Crown
  • The Oregon Coast is renowned for its natural beauty, sea stacks, and gorgeous sunsets. I caught this rock formation in the late afternoon "golden light" and focused on the interplay between light and shadow.
    Oregon Sea Stacks in Golden Light
  • One of my favorite wildflowers of wet meadows and bogs, the grass of Parnassus is a very striking and delicate native that has a somewhat confusing name, as it isn't even closely related to grasses. That name for the genus came from Greek botanist Dioscorides who described it as a grass-like plant that grew on the side of Mount Parnassus. The description was wrong, but the name stuck. It is found in every state and province in continental North America from the Rocky Mountains and west, excluding Arizona. This beauty was found at a very high elevation in the Olympic Mountains on Washington's Hurricane ridge growing next to some carnivorous butterworts between permanently wet rocks.
    Fringed Grass of Parnassus
  • This intensely blue male damselfly called a vivid dancer rests on a reed in the Coachella Valley Preserve in Southern California near Twentynine Palms in Riverside County. While harmless to humans, this tiny beauty is a voracious feeder on mosquitos and other flying insects.
    Vivid Dancer
  • Common grass-pink orchid growing in the Apalachicola National Forest. This delicate beauty can be seen nearly all over the state where there are seepage swamps or bogs near pinelands.
    Common Grass-Pink Orchid (Calopogon ..sus)
  • I once heard a joke about this mushroom: "A very bad song by Madonna is improved immeasurably if you walk through the woods singing:<br />
'Lycoperdon, puffed for the very first time . . .'" I found this beauty growing in the forest just outside of Buckley, Washington.
    Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)
  • A very lucky find in Washington's Olympic Mountains! This tiny orchid was in full bloom up a narrow mountain goat trail overlooking the majestic glaciers and peaks found in Olympic National Park. Found only in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, this easily overlooked beauty is only one of two green-flowered Piperia species growing in the Pacific Northwest. How you tell this one apart from the somewhat similar Alaskan piperia is the length of the spur. This one (Piperia elongata) has a spur on the flower that greatly exceeds the length of the lip, while the closely related Alaskan piperia (Piperia unalascensis) has a spur that is equal to or slightly less than the length of the lip. The spur in this photo looks a bit like a horn growing underneath each flower, and the lip is the bottom part that looks like a wide "lower petal" in the middle of each flower.
    Piperia elongata-3.jpg
  • A very lucky find in Washington's Olympic Mountains! This tiny orchid was in full bloom up a narrow mountain goat trail overlooking the majestic glaciers and peaks found in Olympic National Park. Found only in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, this easily overlooked beauty is only one of two green-flowered Piperia species growing in the Pacific Northwest. How you tell this one apart from the somewhat similar Alaskan piperia is the length of the spur. This one (Piperia elongata) has a spur on the flower that greatly exceeds the length of the lip, while the closely related Alaskan piperia (Piperia unalascensis) has a spur that is equal to or slightly less than the length of the lip. The spur in this photo looks a bit like a horn growing underneath each flower, and the lip is the bottom part that looks like a wide "lower petal" in the middle of each flower.
    Piperia elongata-2.jpg
  • A very lucky find in Washington's Olympic Mountains! This tiny orchid was in full bloom up a narrow mountain goat trail overlooking the majestic glaciers and peaks found in Olympic National Park. Found only in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, this easily overlooked beauty is only one of two green-flowered Piperia species growing in the Pacific Northwest. How you tell this one apart from the somewhat similar Alaskan piperia is the length of the spur. This one (Piperia elongata) has a spur on the flower that greatly exceeds the length of the lip, while the closely related Alaskan piperia (Piperia unalascensis) has a spur that is equal to or slightly less than the length of the lip. The spur in this photo looks a bit like a horn growing underneath each flower, and the lip is the bottom part that looks like a wide "lower petal" in the middle of each flower.
    Piperia elongata-1.jpg
  • Native to the Rocky Mountains, this high-elevation beauty is called queen's crown, and can be found in damp subalpine to alpine wet meadows in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. This succulent was blooming in profusion at about 12,000 feet above sea level just east of Aspen, Colorado on the Continental Divide on a chilly midsummer day.
    Queen's Crown
  • Often referred to as a weed, the very common yellow woodsorrel is found almost all over North America, with the exception of Labrador, Alberta, California, Oregon, Nevada and Utah. Commonly found growing in flowerbeds, lawns, etc. - all parts of this native beauty is edible. I grew up chewing on this plant because I love the intensely citrusy tanginess of it.
    Common Yellow Woodsorrel
  • One of my favorite snakes to be found in the wilderness of the American Southeast is the Florida yellow rat snake. This very long, mustard-yellow colored subspecies of the western rat snake is not very common, like most gray or near-black rat snakes found in the wild, but it is one of the coolest. I have an affinity for this type of snake and once had one as a pet in captivity for years until I decided to let it go free and "go forth and propagate". These non-venomous constrictors primarily feed on rats and birds, although their habit of sneaking into barns and eating eggs has also earned them the nickname of "chicken snake". This one was found by surprise on accident (as most snakes are usually encountered) as I was walking through the edge of the woods in the Ocala National Forest  in Juniper Springs when the tree limb I grabbed suddenly moved in my hand and tried to bite me. I pulled this beauty out into the open for this shot and let it go. It was just about four feet in length and was fat and healthy!
    Florida Yellow Rat Snake
  • Sometimes it can be hard to find an unblemished rose out in the desert at the height of late spring, but this beauty just opened up in Cowiche Canyon in Central Washington.
    Woods' Rose
  • Sometimes the beauty is in the details. This delicate and stunning red clover was photographed in a field full of wildflowers and bees on a late spring morning just south of Seattle, Washington. As an early European export for feeding animals, this member of the pea family is now found growing wild in nearly all parts of North America.
    Red Clover
  • It was a rare morning where the temperature dipped a few degrees below freezing, and the frost on the ground looked a lot like snow in my car’s headlights. It was so worth it, as I was rewarded with the most stunning sunrise I’ve seen in a long time! Winter often offers interesting colors and hues with the first hints of light, but this was something special….. just pure beauty in all its glory!
    Dawn Over the Salt Marsh
  • This particular beauty stands out to me for its simple symmetry. Most Spiranthes orchids have flowers that spiral around the stalk (or spike) but this one carries its flowers in three almost vertical columns, with a slight spiral.
    Southern Oval Ladies'-Tresses (Spira..lis)
  • This large-flowered sabatia is a real beauty and can be found anywhere where there are open, wet prairies in much of Southern Florida. This one was found on the edge of the Corkscrew Swamp.
    Marsh Pink Sabatia
  • Crow poison, also known as Osceola's plume, is a beautiful but very dangerous bog plant found in the American Southeast. Until recently it was considered a member of the lily family, but now is placed in the bunchflower family alongside many other similar and poisonous plants sharing genetic similarities.  The large beauty was photographed in the Apalachicola National Forest in the Florida Panhandle, where regular natural seasonal wildfires seem to promote the growth of this and other moisture-loving plants. Word of caution: all parts of this plant are considered very dangerous, and have caused the death of many livestock animals.
    Crow Poison
  • Giant swallowtail pauses on a smilax vine on a hot summer day in the Corkscrew Swamp of Collier County, Florida. This big beauty had a 5-inch wingspan!
    Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
  • This beautiful native morning glory can be found in every state and province in North America in scattered populations across the United States and Canada. Commonly associated with salt or freshwater marshes and ranging in colors from pink, white with pink stripes to pure white, these beautiful summer bloomers grow on long herbaceous (non-woody) vines. This one was found growing in a thick patch next to a creek that was emptying into Henderson Inlet near Olympia, Washington, which is connects to the Puget Sound.
    Hedge Morning Glory (Calystegia sepium)
  • This beautiful native morning glory can be found in every state and province in North America in scattered populations across the United States and Canada. Commonly associated with salt or freshwater marshes and ranging in colors from pink, white with pink stripes to pure white, these beautiful summer bloomers grow on long herbaceous (non-woody) vines. This one was found growing in a thick patch next to a creek that was emptying into Henderson Inlet near Olympia, Washington, which is connects to the Puget Sound.
    Hedge Morning Glory (Calystegia sepium)
  • After photographing this beautiful alpine lake at the top of Snoqualmie Pass from all directions on a very cloudy day, the sky opened up as I was getting ready to pack up and leave. This is truly one of the most beautiful lakes I've seen so far in the mountains. There were trout swimming in the water and a bald eagle screaming somewhere in the distance.
    Gold Creek Pond
  • These beautiful bright-red rose hips are the fruit of the native Wood's wild rose (Rosa woodsii), found throughout all of the western states and all of Canada (except the Maritime Provinces). Often ignored by everyone except wild food foragers, these rose hips are high in vitamin C and E and can be used to make excellent teas, jams, jellies, and even wine! I have personally used them along with wild apples to make a delicious autumn compote! These were found nearing full ripeness just outside of Olympia, Washington next to the Henderson Inlet.
    Wild Rose Hips (Rosa woodsii)
  • A close-up image of the very rare Cascade Red Fox, a subspecies found in the alpine and subalpine regions of many of the volcanic mountains of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest. This beautiful subspecies is often nearly all black with silver or gray, and once flourished over much of Northwestern North America and is facing increasing pressure from climate change, invasive species like coyotes and humans, high-elevation logging and winter recreation sports such as snowmobiling and skiing. Not long before I got this shot, I spent part of a previous evening watching two pure-black kits (baby foxes) stalking and pouncing on each other in the snow in pure delight up in near the tree line on Mount Rainier.
    Cascade Red Fox
  • A view of Chewacla Falls near Auburn, Alabama while the water level was low... still a beautiful place but better luck next time for lots of white water!
    Chewacla Falls, Alabama
  • Sunset on Lover's Key in Lee County, Florida. Beautiful!.
    Lover's Key
  • These beautiful bright-red rose hips are the fruit of the native Wood's wild rose (Rosa woodsii), found throughout all of the western states and all of Canada (except the Maritime Provinces). Often ignored by everyone except wild food foragers, these rose hips are high in vitamin C and E and can be used to make excellent teas, jams, jellies, and even wine! I have personally used them along with wild apples to make a delicious autumn compote! These were found nearing full ripeness just outside of Olympia, Washington next to the Henderson Inlet.
    Wild Rose Hips (Rosa woodsii)
  • A western pond turtle basks in the sun on a beautiful California day on Lower Klamath Lake near the Oregon border. Listed as a vulnerable/threatened species, these small turtles are slow-growing, often maturing at around 10 years old and are taking a hard hit from invasive bird and animal species - especially bullfrogs and bass.
    Western Pond Turtle
  • A western pond turtle basks in the sun on a beautiful California day on Lower Klamath Lake near the Oregon border. Listed as a vulnerable/threatened species, these small turtles are slow-growing, often maturing at around 10 years old and are taking a hard hit from invasive bird and animal species - especially bullfrogs and bass.
    Western Pond Turtle
  • Lake Wenatchee is a beautiful mountain lake within the Cascade Mountains which sits at an altitude of about 2000 feet above sea level. The lake is often full of salmon, and the forest surrounding the lake teams with wildlife.
    Lake Wenatchee
  • This buck clearly saw me on one of the meadows of Hurricane Ridge on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, yet from a distance behaved quite calmly and after some time I was able to get this beautifully serene shot.
    Mule Deer Buck
  • This beautiful, fast-moving stream flows down from the heights of West Tiger Mountain just east of Renton, Washington where it joins the Raging River about a half-mile downstream.
    West Tiger Mountain Stream
  • Beautiful natural spring waterfall in North Florida.
    Natural Spring Waterfall
  • Ocean Pond at sunset - it was a beautiful evening for camping in the North Florida wilderness!
    Lone Cypress
  • This beautiful little creek wound for miles among the mountains where the last of the red and gold leaves were still clinging to the trees which glittered over the water.
    A Moment in the Great Smoky Mountains
  • The beautiful Florida Gulf Coast just south of Tallahassee, Florida where everything is still wild and free!
    St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
  • Sunset on Lover's Key in Lee County, Florida. Beautiful!
    Lover's Key Sunset
  • One of the most beautiful places in all of Florida - Cedar Key, at sunset.
    Sunset over Cedar Key
  • This beautiful sunset was photographed in North Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. The tree stumps in the water are old pine trees after hurricanes and erosion have turned the forest into coastline.
    Cape San Blas Sunset
  • A fantastic cloudscape at the beach in the evening. Nothing more beautiful than a sunset with an incoming storm on the beach!
    Mashes Sands Storm
  • Sea oats blowing in the wind of a chilly Atlantic breeze on Bald Head Island on one of North Carolina's most beautiful beaches.
    Sea Oats & Sunrise
  • Another day ends beautifully with a dazzling sunset over Apalachicola Bay on the Florida Panhandle.
    All's Well That Ends Well.....
  • A male six-lined racerunner somehow photographed in a brief chase through Jonathan Dickenson State Park on Florida's East Coast. These incredibly fast lizards are found in pine scrubs and similar dry environments. Males have a beautiful turquoise underside.
    Six-lined Racerunner
  • 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
  • Blue-striped garter snake discovered on a trail in the Goethe State Forest in Levy County, Florida. It has the most beautiful turquoise sides and belly!
    Blue-Striped Garter Snake
  • Also known by many other common names such as Catesby's lily, leopard lily, tiger lily, and southern-red lily, the wondrously beautiful pine lily is found natively throughout most of the Southeastern United States, Puerto Rico, various Caribbean Islands and even in parts of Central and South America. In North America, it blooms in late summer through to the fall in savannahs and moist pine flatwoods with somewhat acidic soils from Louisiana to Virginia, sometimes in association with carnivorous plants that require the same soil type. This one was found growing in the Estero Bay Preserve in Lee County, Fl.
    Pine Lily
  • Ghost orchid in the early morning, catching a rare sunbeam in the deepest part of the Fakahatchee Strand. Truly one of the most beautiful and exotic orchids in the world.
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • Sunset on Lover's Key in Lee County, Florida. Beautiful!
    Boating at Lover's Key
  • One of the most beautiful places in all of Florida - Cedar Key, at sunset.
    Boathouse on Cedar Key
  • The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a beautiful shrub or small tree found throughout most of North America except for the southeastern states. While the small beautiful cherries are inedible when ripe (mostly because of the dangerously toxic hydrocyanic acid inside the pits of the ripe berries), the cooked or dried berries are perfectly safe for consumption, and are fantastic for making delicious jams, jellies, syrup, sauces or even beer! These were found growing next to Lake Gulch in rural Baker County, Oregon on a warm summer day.
    Chokecherries-6
  • The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a beautiful shrub or small tree found throughout most of North America except for the southeastern states. While the small beautiful cherries are inedible when ripe (mostly because of the dangerously toxic hydrocyanic acid inside the pits of the ripe berries), the cooked or dried berries are perfectly safe for consumption, and are fantastic for making delicious jams, jellies, syrup, sauces or even beer! These were found growing next to Lake Gulch in rural Baker County, Oregon on a warm summer day.
    Chokecherries-7
  • The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a beautiful shrub or small tree found throughout most of North America except for the southeastern states. While the small beautiful cherries are inedible when ripe (mostly because of the dangerously toxic hydrocyanic acid inside the pits of the ripe berries), the cooked or dried berries are perfectly safe for consumption, and are fantastic for making delicious jams, jellies, syrup, sauces or even beer! These were found growing next to Lake Gulch in rural Baker County, Oregon on a warm summer day.
    Chokecherries-4
  • The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a beautiful shrub or small tree found throughout most of North America except for the southeastern states. While the small beautiful cherries are inedible when ripe (mostly because of the dangerously toxic hydrocyanic acid inside the pits of the ripe berries), the cooked or dried berries are perfectly safe for consumption, and are fantastic for making delicious jams, jellies, syrup, sauces or even beer! These were found growing on the side of a rocky mountain slope just above Petty Creek in Alberton, Montana on a warm summer day.
    Chokecherries-1
  • The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a beautiful shrub or small tree found throughout most of North America except for the southeastern states. While the small beautiful cherries are inedible when ripe (mostly because of the dangerously toxic hydrocyanic acid inside the pits of the ripe berries), the cooked or dried berries are perfectly safe for consumption, and are fantastic for making delicious jams, jellies, syrup, sauces or even beer! These were found growing on the side of a rocky mountain slope just above Petty Creek in Alberton, Montana on a warm summer day.
    Chokecherries-2
  • The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a beautiful shrub or small tree found throughout most of North America except for the southeastern states. While the small beautiful cherries are inedible when ripe (mostly because of the dangerously toxic hydrocyanic acid inside the pits of the ripe berries), the cooked or dried berries are perfectly safe for consumption, and are fantastic for making delicious jams, jellies, syrup, sauces or even beer! These were found growing next to Lake Gulch in rural Baker County, Oregon on a warm summer day.
    Chokecherries-3
  • The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a beautiful shrub or small tree found throughout most of North America except for the southeastern states. While the small beautiful cherries are inedible when ripe (mostly because of the dangerously toxic hydrocyanic acid inside the pits of the ripe berries), the cooked or dried berries are perfectly safe for consumption, and are fantastic for making delicious jams, jellies, syrup, sauces or even beer! These were found growing next to Lake Gulch in rural Baker County, Oregon on a warm summer day.
    Chokecherries-5
  • American beautyberry is a very common and beautiful shrub in the verbena family found all over the Southeastern United States. It has been used extensively for making medicine, tea, wine, dye, fish poison and the crushed berries can be used to relieve mosquito bites. It has also been known to be a great repellant of flies and fire ants. This super-hardy plant can tolerate drought, heat, floods and can be found growing in many different environments, and is an important food source for wildlife.
    Beautyberry
  • When looking at the flower of the Himalayan blackberry, it's easy to see that it actually is a member of the rose family. A favorite of bees and loads of other wildlife who love the delicious sweet blackberries that come later in the summer, this highly invasive import which is actually from the Armenia area (not sure where the  Himalayan part of the name comes from)  thrives in the Pacific Northwest and is a major pest for gardeners and forest stewards all over the region. This one was found in the Woodard Bay Conservation Area just outside of Olympia, Washington on a beautiful summer afternoon.
    Himalayan Blackberry Flowers
  • Getting their name from the sweet nectar produced by their beautiful bright red-orange flowers and tube-like flowers, the western trumpet honeysuckle is a beautiful flowering vine found throughout much of the western United States, including British Columbia in several types of coastal to lower-elevation mountain habitats. These were found growing on a bright summer day overlooking the Puget Sound on Fidalgo Island in Washington State.
    Western Trumpet Honeysuckle
  • Getting their name from the sweet nectar produced by their beautiful bright red-orange flowers and tube-like flowers, the western trumpet honeysuckle is a beautiful flowering vine found throughout much of the western United States, including British Columbia in several types of coastal to lower-elevation mountain habitats. These were found growing on a bright summer day overlooking the Puget Sound on Fidalgo Island in Washington State.
    Western Trumpet Honeysuckle
  • A favorite food source for hummingbirds, butterflies and moths, the western trumpet honeysuckle is a beautiful flowering vine found throughout much of the western United States, including British Columbia in several types of coastal to lower-elevation mountain habitats. This particular one was found growing in wild profusion in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on the eastern side of Washington State's Cascade Mountains.
    Western Trumpet Honeysuckle
  • A favorite food source for hummingbirds, butterflies and moths, the western trumpet honeysuckle is a beautiful flowering vine found throughout much of the western United States, including British Columbia in several types of coastal to lower-elevation mountain habitats. This particular one was found growing in wild profusion in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on the eastern side of Washington State's Cascade Mountains.
    Western Trumpet Honeysuckle
  • This beautiful male Anna's hummingbird is a common west coast species that is expanding it's territory every year. Once only found in Southern California and Mexico's Baja California, they have moved north as far as British Columbia as a result of ornamental plantings and hummingbird feeders that keep these little flying beauties fed year-round. This was one of several seen feeding on salmonberry flowers or resting in willows in Bellevue Washington on a beautiful spring Pacific Northwest afternoon.
    Male Anna's Hummingbird
  • This beautiful male Anna's hummingbird is a common west coast species that is expanding it's territory every year. Once only found in Southern California and Mexico's Baja California, they have moved north as far as British Columbia as a result of ornamental plantings and hummingbird feeders that keep these little flying beauties fed year-round. This was one of several seen feeding on salmonberry flowers or resting in willows in Bellevue Washington on a beautiful spring Pacific Northwest afternoon.
    Male Anna's Hummingbird
  • This beautiful male Anna's hummingbird is a common west coast species that is expanding it's territory every year. Once only found in Southern California and Mexico's Baja California, they have moved north as far as British Columbia as a result of ornamental plantings and hummingbird feeders that keep these little flying beauties fed year-round. This was one of several seen feeding on salmonberry flowers or resting in willows in Bellevue Washington on a beautiful spring Pacific Northwest afternoon.
    Male Anna's Hummingbird
  • This beautiful male Anna's hummingbird is a common west coast species that is expanding it's territory every year. Once only found in Southern California and Mexico's Baja California, they have moved north as far as British Columbia as a result of ornamental plantings and hummingbird feeders that keep these little flying beauties fed year-round. This was one of several seen feeding on salmonberry flowers or resting in willows in Bellevue Washington on a beautiful spring Pacific Northwest afternoon.
    Male Anna's Hummingbird
  • The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon. The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Western Azalea
  • Close-up of the desert broomrape, showing off the beautiful and unusual hairy flowers. Because it doesn't use chlorophyll like most all plants to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into food, it doesn't need to be green. Instead, this oddly beautiful parasitic plant steals nutrients from neighboring plants and has a rather fond taste for asters, such as the sunflowers are common in the desert. This one was found growing in Western Texas near the Rio Grande River.
    Desert Broomrape
  • Saskatoons, or western serviceberries (or “pomes” in botanical terms) are apple-like fruits that look very similar to salal berries  and are one of my favorite foraged berries in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains. Distantly related to apples, they taste like an beautiful mix of blueberry, salal, crabapple and Oregon grape. You can eat them fresh (my favorite!), dehydrate them like raisins, make them into jelly, jam or wine, or bake them into pancakes, pies and pastries. These perfectly ripe beauties were found growing in Montana's Glacier National Park in midsummer.
    Ripe Saskatoons
  • An unusually short yet still flowering spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • A vibrant and healthy non-blooming specimen of the giant rattlesnake orchid growing in a damp forest near Enumclaw, Washington. Orchids are most well-known for their beautiful and exotic flowers, but this one has beautiful variegated leaves that outcompete the drab, tiny white flowers that will appear in late summer.
    Western Rattlesnake Orchid (Goodyera..lia)
  • This distant relative to the magnolia is also known as a squirrel-banana. These are found in dry, sand pinelands and flower in winter. Photographed in the Estero Bay Preserve in SW Florida.
    Beautiful Pawpaw
  • The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon. The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Western Azalea
  • The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon. The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Western Azalea
  • An exquisitely beautiful pair of the rare and beautiful mountain lady's-slipper (Cypripedium montanum) in its natural environment! This native orchid  was part of a  small colony of individuals in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State.
    MountainLadysSlipper -4.jpg
  • An exquisitely beautiful pair of the rare and beautiful mountain lady's-slipper (Cypripedium montanum) in its natural environment! This native orchid  was part of a  small colony of individuals in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State.
    MountainLadysSlipper -3.jpg
  • An exquisitely beautiful pair of the rare and beautiful mountain lady's-slipper (Cypripedium montanum) in its natural environment! This native orchid  was part of a  small colony of individuals in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State.
    MountainLadysSlipper -10
  • An exquisitely beautiful pair of the rare and beautiful mountain lady's-slipper (Cypripedium montanum) in its natural environment! This native orchid  was part of a  small colony of individuals in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State.
    MountainLadysSlipper -8
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