Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • One of the most common wildflowers to grow in the pinelands of South Florida is the chocolateweed, as seen her ein the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails here in SW Florida.
    Chocolateweed
  • This jaw-dropping super-rare color form of the butterfly orchid was found in a dead oak tree knocked over by Hurricane Wilma in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails of northern Collier County, Florida. Had it not been for the hurricane, I never would have stumbled into it!
    White Butterfly Orchid (Encyclia tam..bia)
  • Fulvous hairstreak resting on a palmetto frond in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida. This is one of the most beautiful of all the hairstreaks!
    Fulvous Hairstreak
  • A golden silk spider sits in the middle of her web in the CREW March Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida.
    Golden Silk Spider
  • Cowpeas are a very commonly seen wildflower growing in disturbed areas and pinelands. These were photographed in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida.
    Cowpeas
  • The beautiful and solitary pineland daisy photographed in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida. This plant has a single stem with a single flower.
    Pineland Daisy
  • Pine lily found growing on the side of a trail in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Fl.
    Pine Lily
  • The always popular black-eyed Susan growing in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida. These can be seen all over Florida in many habitats.
    Black-eyed Susan
  • These interesting wildflowers, seen here in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in SW Florida, are commonly found in moist pinelands, especially among or near palmettos.
    Yellow Bachelor's-Buttons
  • Michaux's orchid found growing next to a pond in CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, east of Estero, Florida.
    Michaux's Orchid (Habenaria quinqueseta)
  • Gray hairstreak butterfly feeding on a blazing star wildflower in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida.
    Gray Hairstreak
  • The uncommon mallow  scrub hairstreak seen here in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida is often found near palmettos and other pine scrub plants.
    Mallow Scrub Hairstreak
  • 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
  • One of the strangest seedpods of all of Florida's wildflowers!
    Pine Hyacinth Seedpod
  • The clamshell orchid gets its name from the upper lip, which is shaped a bit like a clam's shell, but I think it looks more like an octopus! This one was in a swamp near Immokalee, Florida.
    Clamshell Orchid (Prosthechea cochle..dra)
  • With a wingspan of 3/4" to 1", the tiny and delicate fatal metalmark is a common metalmark butterfly of the southern United States from Texas to California and can be found throughout Mexico and Guatemala. This one was found sunning itself in a prickly pear cactus patch on a warm November day in Rio Grande City, Texas in Starr County.
    Fatal Metalmark (Calephelis nemesis)
  • Humpback Creek on a beautiful sunny and snowy winter day near the top of Washington's Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle on the Annette Lake Trail.
    Humpback Creek
  • Humpback Creek on a beautiful sunny and snowy winter day near the top of Washington's Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle on the Annette Lake Trail.
    Humpback Creek
  • Humpback Creek on a beautiful sunny and snowy winter day near the top of Washington's Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle on the Annette Lake Trail.
    Humpback Creek
  • Humpback Creek on a beautiful sunny and snowy winter day near the top of Washington's Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle on the Annette Lake Trail.
    Humpback Creek
  • The ultimate ambush predator! I was out photographing wildflowers and didn't even notice this little spider until I was focusing on the flowers!
    Goldenrod Crab Spider
  • Perhaps the most delightful orchid to encounter in the swamps, this wildly shaped flower can often be found in huge colonies, if one doesn't mind wading to reach them. Luckily, these are usually found over permanently standing water, often with alligators and cottonmouths in the area. This is a great deterent to keep poachers away!
    Clamshell Orchid (Prosthechea cochle..dra)
  • Clamshell orchid that has been pollenated, these "fruits" will eventually ripen, and split, releasing their seeds to catch the wind and hopefully land in a suitable place to become another of these flowering beauties.
    Clamshell Orchid (Prosthechea cochle..dra)
  • Humpback Creek on a beautiful sunny and snowy winter day near the top of Washington's Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle on the Annette Lake Trail.
    Humpback Creek
  • Humpback Creek on a beautiful sunny and snowy winter day near the top of Washington's Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle on the Annette Lake Trail.
    Humpback Creek
  • Humpback Creek on a beautiful sunny and snowy winter day near the top of Washington's Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle on the Annette Lake Trail.
    Humpback Creek
  • Humpback Creek on a beautiful sunny and snowy winter day near the top of Washington's Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle on the Annette Lake Trail.
    Humpback Creek
  • Florida's State Wildflower! This very common coreopsis is found in nearly any wet or dry habitat in South Florida.
    Tickseed
  • This member of the St. John's-wort family sometimes used to make a tea to treat depression or anxiety.
    Fourpetal St. John's-Wort
  • 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 vanilla plant gets its name from the vanilla-like scent emitted when dried. This is an extremely common plant in South Florida and can be found in many types of habitat.
    Vanilla Plant
  • Close-up of this beautiful and strange flower. These are not commonly found in Florida. I've only found them among palmettos in pine scrubs, and only on three occasions.
    Michaux's Orchid (Habenaria quinqueseta)
  • One of Florida's most beautiful hairstreaks - the tiny red-banded hairstreak is found often in rural fields and oak hammocks.
    Red-Banded Hairstreak
  • A gray hairstreak  pauses on an unidentified species of liatris in the Fakahatchee Strand in Collier County, Florida.
    Gray Hairstreak
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • This northern walkingstick was almost missed as it perched, perfectly camouflaged as a twig on a prickly pear cactus in a field in Mission, Texas. This amazingly cool, herbivorous stick insect (also known as a phasmid) has a wide geographic range in North America, and can be found in all of the 38 states east of (and including) New Mexico and North Dakota, and can be found in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.
    Northern Walkingstick-3
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • A Texas patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae lineata), a subspecies of the more common and widespread eastern patch-nosed snake warms up in the sunshine on a surprisingly chilly winter late afternoon in Southern Hidalgo County in Mission, Texas - about 5 miles form the Mexican border. This snake gets its name from the unusually large scale on the tip of its snout and is completely harmless to people and reach about 2 to 3 feet in length. This snake primarily eats anything they can catch which is typically lizards, eggs, small rodents and other snakes.
    Texas Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora g..ata)
  • A Texas patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae lineata), a subspecies of the more common and widespread eastern patch-nosed snake warms up in the sunshine on a surprisingly chilly winter late afternoon in Southern Hidalgo County in Mission, Texas - about 5 miles form the Mexican border. This snake gets its name from the unusually large scale on the tip of its snout and is completely harmless to people and reach about 2 to 3 feet in length. This snake primarily eats anything they can catch which is typically lizards, eggs, small rodents and other snakes.
    Texas Patch-nosed Snake (Salvadora g..ata)
  • This northern walkingstick was almost missed as it perched, perfectly camouflaged as a twig on a prickly pear cactus in a field in Mission, Texas. This amazingly cool, herbivorous stick insect (also known as a phasmid) has a wide geographic range in North America, and can be found in all of the 38 states east of (and including) New Mexico and North Dakota, and can be found in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.
    Northern Walkingstick-5
  • This northern walkingstick was almost missed as it perched, perfectly camouflaged as a twig on a prickly pear cactus in a field in Mission, Texas. This amazingly cool, herbivorous stick insect (also known as a phasmid) has a wide geographic range in North America, and can be found in all of the 38 states east of (and including) New Mexico and North Dakota, and can be found in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.
    Northern Walkingstick-4
  • This northern walkingstick was almost missed as it perched, perfectly camouflaged as a twig on a prickly pear cactus in a field in Mission, Texas. This amazingly cool, herbivorous stick insect (also known as a phasmid) has a wide geographic range in North America, and can be found in all of the 38 states east of (and including) New Mexico and North Dakota, and can be found in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.
    Northern Walkingstick-1
  • This northern walkingstick was almost missed as it perched, perfectly camouflaged as a twig on a prickly pear cactus in a field in Mission, Texas. This amazingly cool, herbivorous stick insect (also known as a phasmid) has a wide geographic range in North America, and can be found in all of the 38 states east of (and including) New Mexico and North Dakota, and can be found in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.
    Northern Walkingstick-2
  • Extremely common in the southern half of Texas, this large prickly pear blooms from March through June, producing large edible red to purple delicious fruits. These ripening "tunas" were found growing outside of Mission, Texas.
    Texas Prickly Pear Fruit
  • This is truly the bush with many names, including Texas Ranger, Texas rain sage, cenizo, Texas silverleaf, Texas barometerbush, ash-bush, wild lilac, purple sage, senisa, cenicilla, palo cenizo, and hierba del cenizo. I'm choosing to just call it "Texas sage" as it is commonly called around where I found it in Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. This plant has a cool feature: when it rains or the soil becomes wet, it will suddenly go into blossom. You can tell if an area has had recent rain just by the presence of these beautiful pink flowers, which look beautiful next to its silver leaves.
    Texas Sage 2
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 1
  • Also known as the miniature barrel cactus, this interesting little low-elevation cactus barely reaches 7 inches at its tallest and is usually found in the shady mesquite tree thickets of Central to South Texas. It is easy to identify by its 13 twisted ribs, 10-19 radial spines on each areole with one hooked central spine sticking outward. This particular one was among the tallest of the many hundreds found in a wilderness area just outside of Mission, Texas.
    Twisted Rib Cactus (Thelocactus seti..nus)
  • Massive panoramic view of Southern Utah's Bryce Canyon with its hundreds upon hundreds of hoodoos and other wild sandstone rock formations. In fact - while every continent on Earth has these hoodoos, nowhere in the world has as many as there are right here, in Bryce Canyon National Park! This massive print is at full natural size a whopping 9.75 feet x 3.6 feet (3m x 1.1m) and was created from twelve images. So large in fact that you can see the individual branches on every tree!
    Bryce Canyon Panorama
  • Extremely common in the southern half of Texas, this large prickly pear blooms from March through June, producing large edible red to purple delicious fruits. This enormous patch was found growing outside of Mission, Texas.
    Texas Prickly Pear (Opuntia lindheimeri)
  • This is truly the bush with many names, including Texas Ranger, Texas rain sage, cenizo, Texas silverleaf, Texas barometerbush, ash-bush, wild lilac, purple sage, senisa, cenicilla, palo cenizo, and hierba del cenizo. I'm choosing to just call it "Texas sage" as it is commonly called around where I found it in Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. This plant has a cool feature: when it rains or the soil becomes wet, it will suddenly go into blossom. You can tell if an area has had recent rain just by the presence of these beautiful pink flowers, which look beautiful next to its silver leaves.
    Texas Sage 1
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 4
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 2
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 3
  • Also known as the miniature barrel cactus, this interesting little low-elevation cactus barely reaches 7 inches at its tallest and is usually found in the shady mesquite tree thickets of Central to South Texas. It is easy to identify by its 13 twisted ribs, 10-19 radial spines on each areole with one hooked central spine sticking outward. This massive cluster was found in a wilderness area just outside of Mission, Texas.
    Twisted Rib Cactus (Thelocactus seti..nus)
  • Also known as the miniature barrel cactus, this interesting little low-elevation cactus barely reaches 7 inches at its tallest and is usually found in the shady mesquite tree thickets of Central to South Texas. It is easy to identify by its 13 twisted ribs, 10-19 radial spines on each areole with one hooked central spine sticking outward. This golf ball-sized specimen was one of many hundreds found in a wilderness area just outside of Mission, Texas on a cool mid-October evening.
    Twisted Rib Cactus (Thelocactus seti..nus)
  • Also known as the miniature barrel cactus, this interesting little low-elevation cactus barely reaches 7 inches at its tallest and is usually found in the shady mesquite tree thickets of Central to South Texas. It is easy to identify by its 13 twisted ribs, 10-19 radial spines on each areole with one hooked central spine sticking outward. This golf ball-sized specimen was one of many hundreds found in a wilderness area just outside of Mission, Texas on a cool mid-October evening.
    Twisted Rib Cactus (Thelocactus seti..nus)
  • Nevada's Valley of Fire is one of the most spectacular places in the United States. Unbelievably red sandstone canyons, rock formations and rare habitat-specific wildlife make for one of the very best places for a hike or hiking trip one could hope for.
    Into the Valley of Fire
  • Nevada's Valley of Fire is one of the most spectacular places in the United States. Unbelievably red sandstone canyons, rock formations and rare habitat-specific wildlife make for one of the very best places for a hike or hiking trip one could hope for.
    Into Valley of Fire - Black & White
  • Summer love in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in SW Florida.
    Mating Southeastern Lubber Grasshoppers
  • Beautiful flower of the Florida ironweed blooming in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in SW Florida.
    Florida Ironweed
  • 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 close-up of a desert bighorn ewe in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ram
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ewe with nursing lamb in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ewe with Nursing Lamb
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn lamb in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Lamb
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn sheep in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Mother Desert Bighorn Ewe with Lamb
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn sheep in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Mother Desert Bighorn Ewe with Lamb
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn sheep in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Mother Desert Bighorn Ewe with Pair ..ambs
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn sheep in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Mother Desert Bighorn Ewe with Pair ..ambs
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn sheep in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Family in Southern Utah
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ewe in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ewe
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ram in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ram
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ewe in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ewe
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ewe in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ewe
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ewe in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ewe
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ram in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ram
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ram in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ram
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ram in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ram
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ram in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ram
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ram in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ram
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn ram in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ram
  • To the joy of anyone hiking in the summertime in the Pacific Northwest as far east as Montana, the Columbia lily (also known as the tiger lily) is easily one of the prettiest of our native wildflowers that commonly grow along mountain trails. This was one of hundreds found growing below Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park in Washington State.
    Columbia Lily
  • To the joy of anyone hiking in the summertime in the Pacific Northwest as far east as Montana, the Columbia lily (also known as the tiger lily) is easily one of the prettiest of our native wildflowers that commonly grow along mountain trails. This was one of hundreds found growing below Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park in Washington State.
    Columbia Lily
  • I literally stepped on this interesting exposed fossil bone by accident as I was hiking along the side of an arroyo just outside of McKittrick Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The geology of the area dates back to the Permian Era which lasted from 299 million to 251 million years ago, and these rocks are all part of an ancient reef system near the edge of what we now call the Delaware Sea. This entire region is loaded with fossils, and is the site of much archaeological activity.
    Unidentified Fossil
  • A Douglas' squirrel was kind enough to show me the way as I was hiking trough some trails near Lake Wenatchee, a large lake in Washington's Cascade Mountain Range.
    Douglas' Squirrel
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn sheep in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Ram
  • This cluster of brittle and slightly aged mushrooms was found on the side of a hiking trail on West Tiger Mountain in Western Washington.
    Common Stump Brittlestem
  • A snowy October day in the forested slopes of Mount Rainier near Paradise - that point where the roads end and the hiking trails begin. From here on up it's raw nature and the elements that reign.
    Snowy Paradise
  • Close-up of the very rare speckled ladies'-tresses in full flower in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida.
    Speckled Ladies'-tresses (Cyclopogon..des)
  • The brilliant green and blue male common green darner seen here in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails. These are very common in South Florida wetlands.
    Common Green Darner
  • Candyroot (or dwarf polygala) found growing on the side of a trail in the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Fl.
    Candyroot
  • The wonderfully beautiful pine hyacinth growing in the pinelands of the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in SW Florida.
    Pine Hyacinth
  • Skyflowers found growing in standing water in CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida.
    Skyflowers
  • Female pearl crescent in CREW Marsh Hiking Trails east of Estero, Fl.
    Pearl Crescent
  • Lyell's bristle-moss is a very attractive moss found west of the Rocky Mountains and in other parts of Europe in cool, forested habitats where it forms dense mats in trees and occasionally on soil. In the Pacific Northwest where this one was found (King County, Washington) is extremely common and is often a main feature of many of the urban and suburban hiking trails through many of the public parks, where thick mats hang from the trees creating a sort of beautiful green tunnel through the forest.
    Lyell's Bristle-Moss (Pulvigera lyellii)
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn lamb in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Desert Bighorn Lamb
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn sheep in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Mother Desert Bighorn Ewe with Lamb
  • A close-up of a desert bighorn sheep in Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I was hiking through the hills when in the early evening I came upon a large group of about thirty individuals, including other rams, ewes, and lambs. It took me an hour to get this close for this shot.
    Mother Desert Bighorn Ewe with Lamb
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