Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • Several wedges of Moffitt's Canada Geese (a subspecies of the Canada goose found in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon) fly over the Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge in Central Washington.
    Migrating Moffitt's Canada Geese
  • This large, extremely active and fast-moving wasp is best known for it's parenting behavior. At about two-inches in length, this nectar and small insect-eating burrowing predator will search for a large caterpillar which it will sting it with just enough venom to incapacitate it, but keep it alive. It will then pull, fly or drag it into its burrow, then lay a single egg on the paralyzed caterpillar. When the egg hatches, the larvae will consume the still-living caterpillar for days until it pupates then emerges from the ground as an adult and flies away to start the next cycle. While not aggressive towards humans, it can deliver a nasty sting if provoked. This one was found in the sagebrush desert near Naches, Washington just west of Yakima.
    Common Thread-waisted Wasp (Ammophil..era)
  • While mostly harmless to humans (they might bite is self-preservation), robber flies are fierce ambush predators that wait perch patiently for a flying insect to fly by, then launch into the air, overpower then dispatch their prey mid-flight. They hunt grasshoppers, bees, wasps, butterflies and even other flies! This one was found hunting in the Oak Creek State Wildlife Area, just outside of Yakima, Washington on a hot, late-spring day.
    Robber Fly (Efferia sp.)
  • A beautifully backlit laughing gull on a cold winter day.
    Peace Gull
  • This large four-inch yellow moth was hanging around our front porch for a couple days in Tallahassee, Florida. After several bad attempts at photographing it, I finally got it right with a ring flash at about 2AM on the sidewalk.
    Imperial Moth
  • Perhaps the world's most popular and favorite moth, found here among the ravines and nameless creeks near the Apalachicola River in North Florida.
    Luna Moth
  • Robber flies (also known as assassin flies) are one the coolest insect predators in nature. Bristling with long stiff hairs, these vicious specialists typically hunt a particular kind of prey, based on their species, such as ants, bees, dragonflies, beetles, grasshoppers, wasps or spiders. The stiff hairs on the face act as a protective shield to help protect their eyes against their struggling and potentially harmful meal as it forces its sharp proboscis through the exoskeleton of its victim. This unidentified species was photographed near the El Malpais National Monument in Cibola County, New Mexico.
    Robber Fly
  • Looking very much like it's cousin, the infamous fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), the peach-colored fly agaric (Amanita persicina) looks virtually the same, except for instead of the vibrant red color with scaly cap it has a somewhat softer, light orange, or peach hue. Found only in the Southeastern United States stretching up to coastal New England, this forest fungus develops these beautiful large mushrooms in the fall and winter. This one was in the process of emerging from the soil on a November morning in Pensacola, Florida on the side of a nature trail.
    Peach-colored Fly Agaric
  • Looking very much like it's cousin, the infamous fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), the peach-colored fly agaric (Amanita persicina) looks virtually the same, except for instead of the vibrant red color with scaly cap it has a somewhat softer, light orange, or peach hue. Found only in the Southeastern United States stretching up to coastal New England, this forest fungus develops these beautiful large mushrooms in the fall and winter. This one was in the process of emerging from the soil on a November morning in Pensacola, Florida on the side of a nature trail.
    Peach-colored Fly Agaric
  • A tachinid fly feeds on the flowers of Queen Anne's lace outside of Imboden, Arkansas. These specialized true flies have a very interesting reproductive behavior. The eggs (or newly hatched larvae - depending on the species) is laid on a very unlucky host (usually a caterpillar) where the larvae bores into the body. It will begin to eat its host alive, eventually killing it, and soon after emerge as an adult, ready to breed and repeat the cycle.
    Tachinid Fly (Belvosia borealis)
  • Looking very much like it's cousin, the infamous fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), the peach-colored fly agaric (Amanita persicina) looks virtually the same, except for instead of the vibrant red color with scaly cap it has a somewhat softer, light orange, or peach hue. Found only in the Southeastern United States stretching up to coastal New England, this forest fungus develops these beautiful large mushrooms in the fall and winter. This fully developed mushroom was spotted on a November morning in Pensacola, Florida on the side of a nature trail.
    Peach-colored Fly Agaric
  • A great example of mimicry, this drone fly in the Lake Talquin State Forest in North Florida - which appears at first to be a bee - feeds on nectar of wildflowers, and is especially fond of asters. Native to Europe, but naturalized in the US and Canada.
    Drone Fly
  • A freshly emerging fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) just popping out of the forest floor along Bellevue, Washington's Coal Creek on an early fall afternoon. In a couple of days, its distinctive bright red cap will be highly visible against the bright greens and dark browns of this part of the forest. This highly toxic mushroom can make anyone ingesting it extremely sick (and possibly fatally). This psychoactive fungus has had such an impact on most major cultures in the history of humans that it is mentioned in just about every culture's folklore and religious texts where it is found in the northern hemisphere.
    Emerging Fly Agaric Mushroom
  • A mature orange form of perhaps the world's most famous mushroom - the fly agaric -  growing halfway up the north face of Mount Rainier on one of the last days of summer. Normally bright red, this highly toxic mushroom can make anyone ingesting it extremely sick (and possibly fatally). This psychoactive fungus has had such an impact on most major cultures in the history of humans that it is mentioned in just about every culture's folklore and religious texts where it is found in the northern hemisphere.
    Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
  • The fruiting body of the highly poisonous fly agaric emerges from the forest humus on Mount Rainier. Normally a bright red, some colonies (like the one this was part of) tend to be either orange or even white. There is a lot of taxonomical work being done currently with this group of mushrooms, and time will tell if many of these aren't reclassified as distinct species.
    Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
  • A fisherman casts his line on a sunny cold morning on the White River just outside of Aspen, Colorado.
    Colorado Fly Fisherman
  • A gorgeous green spring afternoon on the Middle Saluda River was the perfect place for me to take my shoes off, get my feet wet and set up my tripod for this shot. After a bit of searching, I found this heavenly spot that was clear of the teeming fly fishermen. Very few places in North America are as beautiful as this part of South Carolina in the springtime!
    Middle Saluda River
  • The Cascades frog is a high altitude-loving frog found in both theCascade and Olympic mountains of the Pacific Northwest. This one was seen in August in Washington's Stevens Pass near the edge of a beautiful and remote subalpine mountain lake.
    Cascades Frog
  • The brown pelican is one of eight species of pelicans found around the world, and is also the smallest. This one was photographed on the St. Joseph Peninsula of Florida's northern Gulf Coast.
    Brown Pelican
  • A rare male subarctic bluet rests on the shore of Lake Elizabeth in the Cascades Mountains in Washington's Steven's Pass. Found most often in Alaska, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and most of the rest of Northern Canada, these beautiful members of the damselfly family occasionally are found in the extreme northern contiguous United States.
    Male Subarctic Bluet
  • The western pondhawk is a common dragonfly in the western states and provinces of North America. With its oversized jaws, it can overpower and devour most large flying insects such as butterflies, damselflies and even other dragonflies. It is most often seen perched on vegetation as it scans for a potential meal to fly by. This male was seen lying in wait along Soos Creek, in Kent, Washington.
    Male Western Pondhawk
  • The western pondhawk is a common dragonfly in the western states and provinces of North America. With its oversized jaws, it can overpower and devour most large flying insects such as butterflies, damselflies and even other dragonflies. It is most often seen perched on vegetation as it scans for a potential meal to fly by. This male was seen lying in wait along Soos Creek, in Kent, Washington.
    Male Western Pondhawk
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-11
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-8
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-7
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-10
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-9
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • One of those maddeningly fast and difficult to photograph butterflies, the cabbage white never seems to stop flying, even while it is feeding. Although it is native to Europe, Asia and North Africa, it was accidentally released in Canada in the 1860's and spread throughout North America where it has become a pest to Brassicaceae crops (cabbage, kale, broccoli, horseradish, etc.) as the voracious little caterpillars are better known as the cabbage worm (not a real worm). This one was seen perching on some native buttercup leaves next to Soos Creek, part of the Green River watershed system in Kent, Washington on a very hot summer day.
    Cabbage White Butterfly
  • An incredible find! Swallows are among the most difficult birds to photograph because they are so secretive, fast, low-flying and extremely erratic in flight. Not to mention they are very small and almost never land where you can see them. Tree swallows? Even more impossible. I found this tree swallow only after I just happened to notice it fly out of a nearly-invisible hole in a dead tree. I waited and waited in the wetlands of Soos Creek in Kent, Washington until it came back to its nest.
    Nesting Tree Swallow 1
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-4
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-3
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-4
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-3
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-2
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-1
  • This large dark and beautiful dragonfly flecked in blue with an unusual flattened tail is common in western North America where it hunts for mosquitoes and other flying prey over shady ponds and wetlands. This one was spotted resting on a tree in a forest near Chatcolet Lake in Northern Idaho.
    Paddle-tailed Darner
  • This most common of the orb weaver spiders found in Washington State, the cross orb weaver is found in a wide range of habitats. It has extremely variable markings and patterns, but they all have a white cross on the back of the abdomen. This large female was found eating its prey - some sort of flying insect - that she trapped in her web next to Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington on an early fall afternoon.
    Cross Orb Weaver
  • This most common of the orb weaver spiders found in Washington State, the cross orb weaver is found in a wide range of habitats. It has extremely variable markings and patterns, but they all have a white cross on the back of the abdomen. This large female was found eating its prey - some sort of flying insect - that she trapped in her web next to Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington on an early fall afternoon.
    Cross Orb Weaver
  • This most common of the orb weaver spiders found in Washington State, the cross orb weaver is found in a wide range of habitats. It has extremely variable markings and patterns, but they all have a white cross on the back of the abdomen. This large female was found eating its prey - some sort of flying insect - that she trapped in her web next to Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington on an early fall afternoon.
    Cross Orb Weaver
  • 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
  • Close-up of the male sooty grouse during courtship as he tries to woo the female I was photographing just prior to his arrival, flying over my head then landing just a few feet away.
    Male Sooty Grouse
  • Three of the ten "first year" whooping cranes flying to their wintering grounds in St. Marks - part of the extensive efforts of Operation Migration.
    Whooping Cranes in Flight!
  • 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)
  • This medium sized skipper was found flying around in the Talquin State Forest near Quincy, Fl.
    Silver-Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus c..rus)
  • Primarily found in Central America and Mexico, the band-celled sister (also known as the Mexican sister) is a beautiful brushfoot butterfly related to admiral butterflies. It has a range that extends from the very southern tip of Texas to Columbia and Venezuela where it feeds on nectar from Cordia, Croton, and Baccharis flowers, and sometimes rotting fruit. This one was found flying around a hackberry tree in South Texas in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge on a hot early spring day.
    Band-celled Sister (Adelpha fessonia)
  • An incredible find! Swallows are among the most difficult birds to photograph because they are so secretive, fast, low-flying and extremely erratic in flight. Not to mention they are very small and almost never land where you can see them. Tree swallows? Even more impossible. I found this tree swallow only after I just happened to notice it fly out of a nearly-invisible hole in a dead tree. I waited and waited in the wetlands of Soos Creek in Kent, Washington until it came back to its nest.
    Nesting Tree Swallow 2
  • One of those maddeningly fast and difficult to photograph butterflies, the cabbage white never seems to stop flying, even while it is feeding. Although it is native to Europe, Asia and North Africa, it was accidentally released in Canada in the 1860's and spread throughout North America where it has become a pest to Brassicaceae crops (cabbage, kale, broccoli, horseradish, etc.) as the voracious little caterpillars are better known as the cabbage worm (not a real worm). This one was found feeding on Himalayan blackberry blossoms in an open field near the Carbon River near Mount Rainier, Washington.
    Cabbage White Butterfly
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-6
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-5
  • 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
  • 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
  • These exceptionally fast fliers feed on insects that they catch in flight, and can often be seen at dawn or dusk in great numbers performing incredible aerobatics in huge numbers over ponds, lakes, and open areas where there are lots of flying insects. This was one of a pair that were circling me as I wound my way up a risky trail up a steep basalt cliff just south of Naches, Washington.
    Violet-Green Swallow
  • One of the most striking and common of the medium-sized dragonflies of the Florida Everglades, the Halloween pennant gets its name from its banded bright orange and brown wings. Known for a butterfly-like flying pattern, this summertime dragonfly is found in most of Eastern and Central North America.
    Halloween Pennant
  • The 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 Florida favorite! A brown pelican in winter plumage flying over Eagle Harbor on the St. Joseph Peninsula on the Gulf Coast.
    Brown Pelican
  • Bald eagle flying overhead in the Estero Bay Preserve in Lee County, Florida.
    Bald Eagle in Flight
  • Bald eagle flying overhead in the Estero Bay Preserve in Lee County, Florida.
    Bald Eagle in Flight
  • While uncommon in Florida, this pair of common wood nymph butterflies was obviously preoccupied from their normal habit of flying away and landing on the other side of pine trees to escape being photographed!
    Mating Common Wood Nymphs
  • Julia butterfly flying from flower to flower in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida. This one is absolutely stunning to see in person!
    Julia
  • A common orbweaver of thick hardwood forests of the American Southeast, this beautiful spider can be found as far north up the Atlantic coast as New England, and as far west as the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountain ranges. Harmless to humans, these spiders weave enormous webs between the trees and are responsible for keeping flying insect populations in check wherever they are found. This one was spotted in the trees in Goethe State Forest in Central Florida.
    Red-femured Orbweaver
  • The national butterfly of Finland, this tiny and fast-flying gossamer-wing butterfly is found across much of the world in the Northern Hemisphere. Like most blues, the underwings are spotted and splotched in specific patterns that are important for species identification, but the upper wings are often bright blue, hence their name. Unfortunately they seldom rest with their wings spread. This one was one of about a dozen found frantically skittering around a duck pond near Soos Creek in Kent, Washington State on a very hot summer day.
    Holly Blue Butterfly
  • The red-shanked grasshopper is a large member of the banded-winged grasshoppers found throughout most of the western United States Mexico, and north into the Canadian Prairies. It prefers open, arid grasslands and prairies where it feeds on a number of grasses and sedges. It is easily recognized by its bold pattern and red rear feet. When threatened, it will take a long "jump" as it flies to a nearby locations with a loud buzzing noise called crepitation. As it flies, it will reveal momentarily its beautiful yellow wings. This one was stalked/chased and photographed near the El Malpais National Monument in Cibola County, New Mexico.
    Red-shanked Grasshopper-2
  • The red-shanked grasshopper is a large member of the banded-winged grasshoppers found throughout most of the western United States Mexico, and north into the Canadian Prairies. It prefers open, arid grasslands and prairies where it feeds on a number of grasses and sedges. It is easily recognized by its bold pattern and red rear feet. When threatened, it will take a long "jump" as it flies to a nearby locations with a loud buzzing noise called crepitation. As it flies, it will reveal momentarily its beautiful yellow wings. This one was stalked/chased and photographed near the El Malpais National Monument in Cibola County, New Mexico.
    Red-shanked Grasshopper-1
  • The red-shanked grasshopper is a large member of the banded-winged grasshoppers found throughout most of the western United States Mexico, and north into the Canadian Prairies. It prefers open, arid grasslands and prairies where it feeds on a number of grasses and sedges. It is easily recognized by its bold pattern and red rear feet. When threatened, it will take a long "jump" as it flies to a nearby locations with a loud buzzing noise called crepitation. As it flies, it will reveal momentarily its beautiful yellow wings. This one was stalked/chased and photographed near the El Malpais National Monument in Cibola County, New Mexico.
    Red-shanked Grasshopper-3
  • This beautifully blue male Sierra Madre dancer (Argia lacrimans) was found and photographed on a rock sticking out of Sonoita Creek in Patagonia, Arizona on a mild spring morning. Like all damselflies in the dancer family (named so because of their jerky, erratic and highly active movements during flight) males tend to be extremely colorful while the females tend to be drab in color. Unlike other damselflies, dancers tend to catch their prey "on the fly" rather than catching prey on the ground, and this probably explains why they fly in such an erratic manner.
    Sierra Madre Dancer
  • A pair of Monarch butterflies "getting busy" on some sea oats making the next generation of monarchs that will continue their multi-generational migration to or from Mexico to the Northern United States and Canada. These were found and photographed on Pensacola Beach on the Florida Panhandle, which is very likely their last stop on dry land before they fly southwest over the Gulf of Mexico over hundreds of miles of open water.
    Monarch Butterfly Couple
  • This little skipper species has an enormous range, and can be found from the northeastern United States to just about all of South America to just about as far south of the equator as it lives north of the equator. This active whirlabout (it gets it's name from the pattern it flies when landing and taking off) was found actively feeding on lantana flowers in a park in Harlingen, Texas on a hot, early spring afternoon.
    Whirlabout (Polites vibex)
  • Also known as flyweed or flycatcher, tarflowers are an interesting member of the heath family that have a little problem: they rely on insect pollinators such as bees, flies and butterflies to pollinate them, but they also excrete a very sticky substance from the flowers (especially in the center) that often ends up trapping insets. While this appears to make it a carnivorous plant, it doesn't actually consume or use any of the insects that unfortunately die. This incredibly beautiful and fragrant flowering shrub is is found all over Florida except the Panhandle, the Keys and the Everglades. This one was found far out in the the woods of Northeastern Collier County.
    Tarflowers
  • A pair of Monarch butterflies "getting busy" on some sea oats making the next generation of monarchs that will continue their multi-generational migration to or from Mexico to the Northern United States and Canada. These were found and photographed on Pensacola Beach on the Florida Panhandle, which is very likely their last stop on dry land before they fly southwest over the Gulf of Mexico over hundreds of miles of open water.
    Mating Monarch Butterflies
  • A pair of Monarch butterflies "getting busy" on some sea oats making the next generation of monarchs that will continue their multi-generational migration to or from Mexico to the Northern United States and Canada. These were found and photographed on Pensacola Beach on the Florida Panhandle, which is very likely their last stop on dry land before they fly southwest over the Gulf of Mexico over hundreds of miles of open water.
    Pairing Monarch Butterflies
  • Unique to the Pacific Northwest, this attractive pale peach-colored member of the Amanita genus (a relative of the infamous fly agaric) is mostly associated with Douglas firs and other pines. This one was found in a heavily forested area near Lake Cushman in the Olympic National Forest.
    Amanita aprica
  • An adult male anhinga in breeding plumage drying his wings in the Florida Everglades near Homestead. Because anhingas don't have the oil glands found in other aquatic birds like ducks, gulls, swans, etc, when they come out of the water, they will need to dry their wings in order to fly. The advantage of not having this seeming important oil so essential to buoyancy is that when underwater, the anhinga becomes an extremely fast and agile swimmer and a very efficient fish hunter. Throughout the Gulf Coast, this is a very typical sight: an anhinga perched above water,  wings spread drying in the wind and heat.
    Male Anhinga
  • Because anhingas don't have the oil glands found in other aquatic birds like ducks, gulls, swans, etc, when they come out of the water, they will need to dry their wings in order to fly. The advantage of not having this seemingly important oil so essential to buoyancy is that when underwater, the anhinga becomes an extremely fast and agile swimmer and a very efficient fish hunter. Throughout the Gulf Coast, this is a very typical sight: an anhinga perched above water,  wings spread drying in the wind and heat. This one was photographed in the middle of Fort Myers, Florida.
    Anhinga
  • Because anhingas don't have the oil glands found in other aquatic birds like ducks, gulls, swans, etc, when they come out of the water, they will need to dry their wings in order to fly. The advantage of not having this seeming important oil so essential to buoyancy is that when underwater, the anhinga becomes an extremely fast and agile swimmer and a very efficient fish hunter. Throughout the Gulf Coast, this is a very typical sight: an anhinga perched above water,  wings spread drying in the wind and heat. This one was photographed in the middle of Fort Myers, Florida.
    Anhinga
  • Because anhingas don't have the oil glands found in other aquatic birds like ducks, gulls, swans, etc, when they come out of the water, they will need to dry their wings in order to fly. The advantage of not having this seemingly important oil so essential to buoyancy is that when underwater, the anhinga becomes an extremely fast and agile swimmer and a very efficient fish hunter. Throughout the Gulf Coast, this is a very typical sight: an anhinga perched above water,  wings spread drying in the wind and heat. This adult male was photographed in the Six-mile Cypress Slough in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Male Anhinga
  • This unusual tree found in California, Nevada, Arizona and parts of Mexico is named after its blue-green trunk and branches, and it's name in Spanish means "green  stick". Historically, the dried beans were an important food source for both wildlife and local indigenous native American tribes, the wood of the tree was important for making cooking utensils It also happens to be the State Tree of Arizona. I found this one in full blossom in the Colorado Desert, and it was swarming with bees, flies and other insects on a hot, dry spring morning just outside of Mecca, California.
    Blue Palo Verde with Beans
  • This unusual tree found in California, Nevada, Arizona and parts of Mexico is named after its blue-green trunk and branches, and it's name in Spanish means "green  stick". Historically, the dried beans were an important food source for both wildlife and local indigenous native American tribes, the wood of the tree was important for making cooking utensils It also happens to be the State Tree of Arizona. I found this one in full blossom in the Colorado Desert, and it was swarming with bees, flies and other insects on a hot, dry spring morning just outside of Mecca, California.
    Blue Palo Verde
  • 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
  • One of the more difficult Florida birds to photograph, these shy birds fly swiftly with dexterous precision through the thick brush of Florida's wetlands and pine scrubs, and are easily recognized by their cat-like screech, and black "mohawk".
    Catbird
  • Ideal habitat for the night-fragrant orchid ... thick dark swamp, heavy vegetation, lots of mosquitoes, snakes, and alligators... not to mention the menacing deer flies!
    Night-Fragrant Epidendrum (Epidendru..num)
  • Cormorant on Sanibel Island with a big mullet. I couldn't believe my eyes as it swallowed the whole fish! It was funny watching it try to fly afterward!
    Double-Crested Cormorant