Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • A free-floating leafy bladderwort in flower as it floats in the swampy water of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge on the Florida Panhandle. This interesting carnivorous plant has tiny sensitive traps in its root-like strictures that capture tiny invertebrates as they seek shelter that it will ingest as a food source.
    Leafy Bladderwort
  • Close-up of the flower of Schnell's pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava var. rugelii) found growing in the Apalachicola National Forest in Northern Florida. This stunning carnivorous insect-eating plant is found in seepage bogs across  the East gulf coastal plain from Alabama to Virginia, and is a subspecies of the more common yellow pitcher plant.
    Flower of Schnell's Pitcher Plant
  • Perhaps the most beautiful of North America's threatened carnivorous plant species, the white-topped pitcher plant is native to Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and the western tip of North Carolina. This surprising find in Georgia's Grady County is possibly the part of the state's easternmost population, and covered a very rural area in a pine forest no bigger than an acre.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • A field of California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) growing in a wet bog in full flower! The flowers of this carnivorous plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plants
  • Found only in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, the hooded pitcher plant is one of the smaller of our native pitcher plants found at the edges of bogs and wet pinelands. Like all carnivorous plants, nectar glands inside the "hood" attract insects where a series of hairs inside the pitcher (a modified leaf) encourages the insect downward into the tube until it cannot turn around and escape. These insects will in turn be dissolved and deliver the essential nutrients that are needed in such a plant that grows in such nutrient-poor soils. This is the blossoming flower that is ironically also pollinated by flying insects. This one was found and photographed during the summer rains in the Osceola National Forest in North Florida.
    Hooded Pitcher Plant
  • Found only in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, the hooded pitcher plant is one of the smaller of our native pitcher plants found at the edges of bogs and wet pinelands. Like all carnivorous plants, red coloration and sweet nectar glands inside the "hood" attract insects where a series of hairs inside the pitcher (a modified leaf) encourages the insect downward into the tube until it cannot turn around and escape. These insects will in turn be dissolved and deliver the essential nutrients that are needed in such a plant that grows in such nutrient-poor soils. This one was found and photographed during the summer rains in the Osceola National Forest in North Florida.
    Hooded Pitcher Plant
  • Found only in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, the hooded pitcher plant is one of the smaller of our native pitcher plants found at the edges of bogs and wet pinelands. Like all carnivorous plants, nectar glands inside the hood and white translucent "windows" attract insects where a series of hairs inside the pitcher (a modified leaf) encourages the insect downward into the tube until it cannot turn around and escape. These insects will in turn be dissolved and deliver the essential nutrients that are needed in such a plant that grows in such nutrient-poor soils. This one was found and photographed during the summer rains in the Osceola National Forest in North Florida.
    Hooded Pitcher Plant
  • A purple pitcher plant in flower in a bog in Liberty County, Florida. This petite carnivorous plant tends to be a bright red color when growing in the open where it is exposed to more sunlight, as compared to those that grow in the shade.
    Parrot Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia psi..ina)
  • A field of Schnell's pitcher plants with some yellow pitcher plants in the foreground in the Apalachicola National Forest. Among these were numerous other types of carnivorous plants, as well as a couple types of terrestrial orchids. This is a regular stop for us when we are in the area, and something that really must be experienced. No photograph can do it justice!
    Schnell's Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia ..lii)
  • White-topped pitcher plants growing in a North Florida bog among a healthy population of threadleaf sundews - another carnivorous plant.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • The world's most famous carnivorous plant - the venus flytrap, growing wild in a bog in North Florida. These natives to the American Southeast - primarily North and South Carolina, have been spreading and thriving in the Apalachicola National Forest.
    Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
  • Close-up of yellow pitcher plants in the Apalachicola National Forest, Fl. Insects are lured with with a sweet secretion, trapped, and digested by this carnivorous plant.
    Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava)
  • The terrestrial or semi-aquatic horned bladderwort growing in Monroe County in the Big Cypress National Preserve. This  small carnivorous plant can catch small animals with tiny contracting bladders that suddenly open upon contact and suck in the prey by an inrush of water or air, and trapping it within with a flap-like membrane. These bladders are located among the root-like leaves.
    Horned Bladderwort (Utricularia cornuta)
  • The beautiful flower of the gulf purple pitcher plant, growing in the Apalachicola National Forest - world renowned for it's carnivorous plant biodiversity.
    Gulf Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarraceni..sea)
  • A field of California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) growing in a wet bog in full flower! The flowers of this carnivorous plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plants
  • Huge Schnell's pitcher plants growing in the Apalachicola National Forest. These carnivorous plants grow in poor soil, and get what they can't get from the soil by trapping and digesting insects inside these long trumpet-like leaves, which are lured by a sweet-smelling nectar. They are absolutely incredible to see in the wild!
    Schnell's Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia ..lii)
  • A field of California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) growing in a wet bog in full flower! The flowers of this carnivorous plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plants
  • Seen from above, the California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica) grows well in sunny, wet places with poor soil nutrients. Unusual for pitcher plants, the water contained inside the covered (or hooded) pitchers is drawn in from the roots instead of using rainwater. This may possibly be a way to keep from diluting the enzymes in the "trap" that are used to dissolve and break down the trapped insects in a climate where there is so much rainfall.  These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plant
  • The beautiful and unusual purple bladderwort grows among the flooded swamps in the Apalachicola National Forest.
    Purple Bladderwort (Utricularia purp..rea)
  • This particularly beautiful pitcher plant next to one of its flowers is very striking and not easily confused with other of our native pitcher plants. The green tubular leaves that trap insect prey are hooded, which keeps water out (unusual from most pitcher plants that collect rainwater) and insects in. This particular shape gives it another commonly used name - the cobra lily. This one was found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plant
  • The flowers of the California pitcher plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    Flower of the California Pitcher Plant
  • The common butterwort found growing on some wet rocks on the edge of a mountain stream high up in the Olympic Mountains below Hurricane Ridge in NW Washington. Look closely and you can just see the buds which in about a few weeks will extend out above the sticky leaves and produce a beautiful purple flower. These sticky leaves trap insects which the plant will dissolve and ingest as food. Look closer and you will see one mosquito already caught!
    Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgar..ras)
  • When traveling through the Apalachicola National Forest in Liberty County, Florida, yellow pitcher plants stand in groves in the seepage bogs along several of the roads.
    Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava)
  • A cluster of parrot pitcher plants growing in the Apalachicola National Forest. This is the smallest and most common pitcher plant to be found in Florida.
    Parrot Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia psi..ina)
  • The beautiful and intricate design of red veins in the white-topped pitcher plant.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • The "umbrella-less" short and stumpy gulf pitcher plant in flower growing in a roadside ditch in the Apalachicola National Forest.
    Gulf Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarraceni..sea)
  • Several silvery green threadleaf sundews growing on the edge of this pond  in North Florida.
    Threadleaf Sundew (Drosera tracyi)
  • A very common find in some of the seepage bogs of the Apalachicola National Forest, the leaves of these beautifully colored butterworts are covered in tiny sticky hairs that trap and digest unsuspecting insects.
    Chapman's Butterwort (Pinguicula pla..lia)
  • Close-up of a single pitcher - which is a actually modified leaf. Chemical attractants lure unsuspecting insects, and the downward pointing hairs  on the "ramp" lead them into the trap. Here enzymes within the collected rainwater will digest its prey and provide the necessary nutrients needed for growth and propagation.
    Gulf Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarraceni..sea)
  • These modified leaves emit a sweet attractant complete with red color that insects cannot resist. Once the sensitive hairs within the "trap" sense an insect (or photographer's finger) the trap will slam shut.
    Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
  • The beautiful green and white flowers of the venus flytrap, in full bloom in summer in a North Florida seepage bog.
    Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
  • The aquatic leafy bladderwort growing in the wetlands of the Big Cypress National Preserve in Monroe County. This was photographed in the beginning of the dry season, and receding water levels left this plant high and dry.
    Leafy Bladderwort (Utricularia foliosa)
  • A chapman's butterwort growing in Liberty County, Florida alongside another unidentified butterwort - perhaps the green form of the same species. In this photo, you can see the fine short hairs on the greasy leaves that attract and trap flying insects.
    Chapman's Butterwort (Pinguicula pla..lia)
  • The submerged leaves of the purple bladderwort have small, basket-like bladders with sensitive hairs around a closed trap door. When small swimming animals make contact with one of these hairs, the bladder sharply expands, sucking the prey inside where it will be digested slowly.
    Purple Bladderwort (Utricularia purp..rea)
  • The delicate and beautiful small butterwort is often found growing out of flooded prairies and cypress domes of the Big Cypress National Preserve.
    Small Butterwort (Pinguicula pumila)
  • The flowers of the California pitcher plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    Flower of the California Pitcher Plant
  • The flowers of the California pitcher plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    Flower of the California Pitcher Plant
  • Close-up of the hairs underneath the "umbrella" part of the pitcher plant that guide the unsuspecting insects into the trap, or pitcher. Look closely and you can see the 13-14 gnats tangled among these hairs.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • Very large yellow pitcher plants growing on the edge of Tate's Hell State Forest in Gulf County on the Florida Panhandle coast. Many of these had spiders' traps inside - robbing the plants of their ability to catch insects.
    Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava)
  • Yellow pitcher plants found growing in a dried bog in the Apalachicola National Forest. At times, whole prairies can be loaded with these large trumpet-shaped plants!
    Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava)
  • The elegant and beautiful white-topped pitcher plant growing in a Liberty County seepage bog. This location is possibly the easternmost population in Florida.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • The gulf purple pitcher plant is the only Florida pitcher plant that collects rainwater - possibly as part of its insect-catching strategy.
    Gulf Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarraceni..sea)
  • Close-up view of the hundreds of shiny, sticky hairs that attract and entrap insects. Doomed insects will then be digested with powerful enzymes and absorbed by the plant. This enables the Tracy's sundew to thrive in areas where the soil is very poor in nutrients and highly acidic.
    Threadleaf Sundew (Drosera tracyi)
  • The tiny and beautiful pink sundew has many leaves with sticky pads arranged in a rosette. These sticky sweet drops of muscilage attract flying insects that become trapped and then are slowly digested by the plant.
    Pink Sundew (Drosera capillaris)
  • A tight cluster of panhandle butterworts growing among some small pond cypress trees in Liberty County, Florida.
    Panhandle Butterwort (Pinguicula ion..tha)
  • The yellow butterwort - the only one with a pure yellow flower, blooming on a cool spring morning in the Apalachicola National Forest.
    Yellow Butterwort (Pinguicula lutea)
  • The delicate and beautiful small butterwort is often found growing out of flooded prairies and cypress domes of the Big Cypress National Preserve.
    Small Butterwort (Pinguicula pumila)
  • The aquatic leafy bladderwort growing in the flooded prairies of the Big Cypress National Preserve in Southwest Florida.
    Leafy Bladderwort (Utricularia foliosa)
  • This enormous great horned owl was spotted from almost a quarter-mile away perched in a cottonwood tree next to Lower Klamath Lake in Northern California.
    Great Horned Owl
  • The barred owl is expanding its range across North America, which is bad news for the closely-related and endangered spotted owl who is in direct competition for habitat and resources. This large, mature individual watched me intently before silently taking flight and melting back into the darkening forest, about 40 miles southeast of Seattle.
    Barred Owl
  • A turkey vulture spreads its wings from atop a dead tree overlooking the Columbia Gorge in Southern Washington, with Oregon in the background.
    Turkey Vulture
  • 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 red fox licks its chops on a snowy spring morning on the slopes of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Hungry Red Fox
  • You don't often see a great horned owl on the ground, like this one found near the beach just north of Tampa, Florida. One of the interesting things about these large owls is that they don't build their own nests. Instead, they will take over an already existing nest of another bird or animal such as a crow, squirrel, hawk or osprey if it finds that nest to be suitable for its needs.
    Great Horned Owl
  • A prairie falcon streaks past, pivots and dives while hunting along a large cliff in Northeastern Califonia in rural Modoc County. Very similar yet only slightly diminished in size and speed as its distant cousin, the peregrine falcon, the prairie falcon makes its home in the wide, open prairies and arid deserts of the American West interior.
    Prairie Falcon in Flight
  • A prairie falcon streaks past, pivots and dives while hunting along a large cliff in Northeastern Califonia in rural Modoc County. Very similar yet only slightly diminished in size and speed as its distant cousin, the peregrine falcon, the prairie falcon makes its home in the wide, open prairies and arid deserts of the American West interior.
    Prairie Falcon in Flight
  • A red-shouldered hawk feasts on a panfish caught deep in the Big Cypress National Preserve of Southwest Florida.
    Red-shouldered Hawk
  • The red-shouldered hawk is one of the most common birds of prey in the Florida Everglades. This one was seen perched in a bald cypress tree while feeding on one of Florida's native panfish species.
    Red-shouldered Hawk
  • This juvenile great horned owl would have gone completely unnoticed had it not been making the most horrendous racket in a tree in Sweetwater, Wyoming as I was photographing prairie dogs.
    Juvenile Great Horned Owl
  • North Florida's salt marshes around St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is full of alligators, where there is plenty to eat and lots of cover. You can easily see how this one left the water to cross into the next marsh… check out that tail drag!
    Gator Tracks!
  • An adult barred owl watches from the hardwoods at the northern end of the Fakahatchee Strand early in the morning in Southwest Florida near Golden Gate.
    Fakahatchee Barred Owl
  • Close-up portrait of a laughing gull in Apalachicola, Florida on the northern Gulf Coast. A shrimp boat had just pulled in to port, and this sneaky opportunist was just waiting for an easy meal!
    Laughing Gull Portrait
  • Eventually the King of the Florida Everglades ends up getting eaten. This alligator met its demise in the Fakahatchee Strand, and provided a meal, ready to eat for this black vulture. Without carrion birds such as this to keep the ecosystem clean from decay and rot, very little of the habitat would be safe for wildlife.
    Black Vulture
  • A barred owl in the fading light next to Deep Lake, in Enumclaw, Washington.
    Barred Owl
  • Typical habitat for the barred owl. Every time I've seen them in the wild, they have been in dark, heavily wooded forests or swamps.
    Barred Owl
  • A red fox shedding its white winter coat on a warm spring day on Mount Rainier. As the days become warmer, its coat will get redder.
    Red Fox
  • Red Fox with Copy Space
    Red Fox on Mount Rainier
  • A red fox that was seen trotting through the snow about a third of the way up the Mount Rainier in Washington State. Even in May, this one still had most of it's winter coat.
    Red Fox
  • An impossibly red-headed turkey vulture patrols the Gulf Coast in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in North Florida in search of carrion.
    Turkey Vulture
  • You never know what you will see when driving through rural Florida. This alligator head - probably a leftover from poachers - was being picked clean by vultures in Hendry County.
    Black Vulture
  • A red fox licks its chops on a snowy spring morning on the slopes of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    RedFox2020-1.jpg
  • A prairie falcon streaks past, pivots and dives while hunting along a large cliff in Northeastern Califonia in rural Modoc County. Very similar yet only slightly diminished in size and speed as its distant cousin, the peregrine falcon, the prairie falcon makes its home in the wide, open prairies and arid deserts of the American West interior.
    Prairie Falcon in Flight
  • An unidentified member of the assassin bug family (Reduviidae) tumbles and rolls along on a strong wind through the White Sands dunes of Southern New Mexico.
    Assassin Bug
  • A baby great horned owl - or owlet - that had fallen or had been possibly pushed out of the nest by a parent. Huge for a chick, this one was probably old enough to fend for itself, and with parents who probably still watched and maybe even protected it from a distance for a time.
    Baby Great Horned Owl
  • 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
  • A barred owl focuses on an angry dive-bombing robin that is taking exception to a predator so close to home in an old-growth forest near Enumclaw, WA.
    Barred Owl
  • Sometimes the King of the Everglades is on the menu. This black vulture in Florida's Fakahatchee Strand perches on the floating corpse of an alligator that has been dead for several days.
    Black Vulture and Dead Alligator
  • The crested caracara is member of the falcon family that is common throughout central and the northern part of South America. There is a moderate-sized population in central-south Florida, especially in Hendry County. I almost always see one every time I am on the highway south of LaBelle. These scavengers are most often soaring high above the arid countryside or competing with vulture for roadkill.
    Crested Caracara
  • A red fox prowls through the snowy forested slopes on Mount Rainier.
    Red Fox
  • I was photographing native turtles along Lake Trafford in Immokakee, Florida when I passed an overflowing dumpster near a restaurant swarmed with vultures. This one posed for me long enough to make a portrait.
    Black Vulture Portrait
  • Caracara seen in Hendry County, , Florida on the side of the road. It was defending its meal - half a rabbit - from two turkey vultures.
    Crested Caracara
  • A member of nature's clean-up crew, the black vulture is a very important and necessary part of keeping the environment healthy and beautiful. This one was photographed in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black Vulture
  • The desert cottontail (Audubon's cottontail) is a common rabbit native to the American Southwest, very similar to other cottontails around the world, but adapted to live in arid, desert-like environments. It gets all of its water from the grasses, cacti and other forbs. It is also a very important food source for the many carnivores of the desert including golden and bald eagles, great horned owls, ferruginous hawks, badgers, coyotes, foxes, bobcats and humans. This one was photographed early on a summer evening in the Moab Desert in Eastern Utah.
    Desert Cottontail (Audubon's Cottontail)
  • The desert cottontail (Audubon's cottontail) is a common rabbit native to the American Southwest, very similar to other cottontails around the world, but adapted to live in arid, desert-like environments. It gets all of its water from the grasses, cacti and other forbs. It is also a very important food source for the many carnivores of the desert including golden and bald eagles, great horned owls, ferruginous hawks, badgers, coyotes, foxes, bobcats and humans. This one was photographed early on a summer evening in the Moab Desert in Eastern Utah.
    Desert Cottontail (Audubon's Cottontail)
  • The desert cottontail (Audubon's cottontail) is a common rabbit native to the American Southwest, very similar to other cottontails around the world, but adapted to live in arid, desert-like environments. It gets all of its water from the grasses, cacti and other forbs. It is also a very important food source for the many carnivores of the desert including golden and bald eagles, great horned owls, ferruginous hawks, badgers, coyotes, foxes, bobcats and humans. This one was photographed early on a summer evening in the Moab Desert in Eastern Utah.
    Desert Cottontail (Audubon's Cottontail)
  • 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
  • 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