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  • huckleberry, Angiosperms, background, beautiful, beauty, berry, berries, botany, color, edible, Eudicots, field, flora, flower, flowers, food, food source, fresh, fruit, green, native, natural, nature, plant, Plantae, plants, red, ripe, spring, summer, sweet, tasty, Washington, wild, wildflowers, yummy, flora, forage, foraging, red, Vaccinium parvifolium, red blueberry, red huckleberry, Ericaceae, heath, deciduous, shrub, Plantae, Angiosperms, Eudicots, Asterids, Ericales, Ericaceae, Vaccinium, V. parvifolium, Vaccinium parvifolium, Dicot, Ericaceae, Perennial, red bilberry, red whortleberry, red huckleberry, red whortleberry, red, edible, tasty, foraging
    Red Huckleberry-10
  • The red huckleberry is one of the best-tasting wild berries that can be found in abundance in the Pacific Northwest, and can be found in shaded forests along the Pacific coasts from Central California to Southeastern Alaska west of the Cascades, and can reach a height of 3 to 12 feet - often in association with rotting wood. Tasting a little more like a cranberry than some of the other darker huckleberry varieties, the red huckleberry is sweet with a very pleasing tartness, and is a valuable food source for deer, mountain beavers, mountain goats, and elk - especially in wintertime where many of the late berries persist after the first snow. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington's Western Olympic Mountains.
    Red Huckleberry
  • The red huckleberry is one of the best-tasting wild berries that can be found in abundance in the Pacific Northwest, and can be found in shaded forests along the Pacific coasts from Central California to Southeastern Alaska west of the Cascades, and can reach a height of 3 to 12 feet - often in association with rotting wood. Tasting a little more like a cranberry than some of the other darker huckleberry varieties, the red huckleberry is sweet with a very pleasing tartness, and is a valuable food source for deer, mountain beavers, mountain goats, and elk - especially in wintertime where many of the late berries persist after the first snow. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington's Western Olympic Mountains.
    Red Huckleberry
  • The red huckleberry is one of the best-tasting wild berries that can be found in abundance in the Pacific Northwest, and can be found in shaded forests along the Pacific coasts from Central California to Southeastern Alaska west of the Cascades, and can reach a height of 3 to 12 feet - often in association with rotting wood. Tasting a little more like a cranberry than some of the other darker huckleberry varieties, the red huckleberry is sweet with a very pleasing tartness, and is a valuable food source for deer, mountain beavers, mountain goats, and elk - especially in wintertime where many of the late berries persist after the first snow. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington's Western Olympic Mountains.
    Red Huckleberry
  • The red huckleberry is one of the best-tasting wild berries that can be found in abundance in the Pacific Northwest, and can be found in shaded forests along the Pacific coasts from Central California to Southeastern Alaska west of the Cascades, and can reach a height of 3 to 12 feet - often in association with rotting wood. Tasting a little more like a cranberry than some of the other darker huckleberry varieties, the red huckleberry is sweet with a very pleasing tartness, and is a valuable food source for deer, mountain beavers, mountain goats, and elk - especially in wintertime where many of the late berries persist after the first snow. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington's Western Olympic Mountains.
    Red Huckleberry
  • Found throughout most of Canada and the Northern United States, the red elderberry is a very attractive small tree that is important historically for some native American peoples. The small, seedy ripe berries are known to cause nausea and are mildly toxic unless cooked. They are most often used to make jellies or wine. These were found at about 4000 feet in elevation in the North Cascades of Northern Washington.
    Pacific Red Elderberry
  • One of my very favorite wildflowers of the subalpine mountain meadows, the great red paintbrush can be found in great profusion with many other spectacular vibrant wildflowers when the snow melts in the summertime. The reason you won't find this in garden nurseries is that without its fellow wildflowers in their natural environment, it doesn't have its fellow neighboring plants to feed on. Yes - it's (at least partially) parasitic!
    Great Red Indian Paintbrush
  • A red fox licks its chops on a snowy spring morning on the slopes of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Hungry Red Fox
  • The red huckleberry is one of the best-tasting wild berries that can be found in abundance in the Pacific Northwest, and can be found in shaded forests along the Pacific coasts from Central California to Southeastern Alaska west of the Cascades, and can reach a height of 3 to 12 feet - often in association with rotting wood. Tasting a little more like a cranberry than some of the other darker huckleberry varieties, the red huckleberry is sweet with a very pleasing tartness, and is a valuable food source for deer, mountain beavers, mountain goats, and elk - especially in wintertime where many of the late berries persist after the first snow. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington's Western Olympic Mountains.
    Red Huckleberry
  • The red huckleberry is one of the best-tasting wild berries that can be found in abundance in the Pacific Northwest, and can be found in shaded forests along the Pacific coasts from Central California to Southeastern Alaska west of the Cascades, and can reach a height of 3 to 12 feet - often in association with rotting wood. Tasting a little more like a cranberry than some of the other darker huckleberry varieties, the red huckleberry is sweet with a very pleasing tartness, and is a valuable food source for deer, mountain beavers, mountain goats, and elk - especially in wintertime where many of the late berries persist after the first snow. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington's Western Olympic Mountains.
    Red Huckleberry
  • The red huckleberry is one of the best-tasting wild berries that can be found in abundance in the Pacific Northwest, and can be found in shaded forests along the Pacific coasts from Central California to Southeastern Alaska west of the Cascades, and can reach a height of 3 to 12 feet - often in association with rotting wood. Tasting a little more like a cranberry than some of the other darker huckleberry varieties, the red huckleberry is sweet with a very pleasing tartness, and is a valuable food source for deer, mountain beavers, mountain goats, and elk - especially in wintertime where many of the late berries persist after the first snow. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington's Western Olympic Mountains.
    Red Huckleberry
  • The common red elderberry is found throughout most of North America, excluding the Gulf coastal plain and the states of South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas. Not as often used as it once was in the past, elderberries are known to make fantastic jellies and wines. The very fragrant white flowers in spring attract many species of hummingbirds and butterflies. Traditionally used medicinally by Native Americas - the inner bark was sometimes used as a diuretic or as a way to induce vomiting. These were found and photographed in the North Cascades just east of Mount Baker in Washington State.
    Red Elderberry
  • The common red elderberry is found throughout most of North America, excluding the Gulf coastal plain and the states of South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas. Not as often used as it once was in the past, elderberries are known to make fantastic jellies and wines. Caution should be used before consuming them - unless properly cooked, elderberries can cause nausea in most people, and the leaves and bark contain toxic compounds that produce arsenic. This one was found and photographed in a small wooded area just south of Seattle, Washington.
    Red Elderberry
  • Red leaf isolated against a sepia forest floor. Photographed in a North Florida forest near the Alabama border.
    Red Maple Leaf
  • The red columbine has had a significant role in its habitat and ecology. As an important food source for hummingbirds, it has had a historical importance for native American tribes as both a medicine and a perfume.
    Red Columbine
  • 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
  • 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 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
  • A red belt conk (a type of shelf polypore mushroom) grows at the base of a dead tree in Montana's Glacier National Park on a wet summer morning. These very common mushrooms in forests can be found around the northern hemisphere mostly on dead conifers, and very occasionally deciduous or even sometimes on live trees. These mushrooms do play a vital role in breaking down old wood and helping recycle those nutrients for the forest to reuse.
    Red Belt Conk
  • Easily one of the most recognizable mountain wildflowers on the West Coast, the red columbine has an astounding range. It can be found as far north as Alaska and the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, all of the western states within the Cascade and Rocky Mountain ranges, and south down into Mexico's Baja California. This was was growing on Mount Hood in Oregon.
    Red Columbine
  • Sometimes the beauty is in the details. This delicate and stunning red clover was photographed in a field full of wildflowers and bees on a late spring morning just south of Seattle, Washington. As an early European export for feeding animals, this member of the pea family is now found growing wild in nearly all parts of North America.
    Red Clover
  • A red fox prowls through the snowy forested slopes on Mount Rainier.
    Red Fox
  • Red Fox with Copy Space
    Red Fox on Mount Rainier
  • A striking red columbine flower in crisp detail found in Washington's Cascade Mountains in Stevens Pass.
    Red Columbine
  • A red fox licks its chops on a snowy spring morning on the slopes of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    RedFox2020-1.jpg
  • 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 mountain forest-loving red-flowering currant may not produce the edible currants many of us love to eat, but these flowers will certainly draw many spring hummingbirds! Color varies from bright red to pale pink.
    Red-flowering Currant
  • The red-flowering currant is a beautiful red to pink (based on location) deciduous shrub native to the Pacific Northwest. This one was photographed in the late spring in a forest in Steven's Pass, Washington.
    Red-flowering Currant
  • This easily identifiable fuzzy orbweaver spider is found commonly in thickly vegetated habitats where there are enough trees to support their large spiderweb traps and enough insects to keep them fed. Beautiful bold banding on the legs, bright red femurs and an obvious cross on the top of the abdomen make this beauty easy to tell apart from other orb weavers. This one was found deep in a jungle-like, mosquito-infested area in eastern Collier County near the Collier-Hendry border in Southwest Florida, but they can be found in most suitable areas of the Southeast, and as far north up the Atlantic coast as New England, and as far west as the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountain ranges.
    Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver
  • A red-breasted nutchatch perches in a maple tree on a warm spring Pacific Northwest day in Kent, Washington.
    Red-breasted Nutchatch
  • Close-up of a red-spotted toad, one of the few amphibians found in the deserts and plains of the American Southwest. Because water is scarce in these areas, they can be often heard after a heavy rain as a piercing high-pitched trill that means the males are calling for females, as breeding opportunities are few and far between. Eggs are laid singly and fertilized, and will hatch within hours. Six to eight weeks later, the tadpoles (if they survive and the water lasts long enough) will reach adulthood.
    Red-Spotted Toad
  • At home in the heat of the American Southwest, this red-spotted toad slumbers throughout the driest parts of the year, and emerges with the rains that come in spring and summer. This one was photographed in the Moab Desert in Eastern Utah.
    Red-Spotted Toad
  • This common Indian paintbrush can be found all over the Pacific Northwest. This one was found growing in a mountain stream in Oregon just south of Mount Hood.
    Giant Red Indian Paintbrush
  • Indian paintbrushes growing on a meadow hill on Mount Rainier. One of the most beautiful sights in the Pacific Northwest is to see huge sweeping views of subalpine meadows full of Indian paintbrushes, mixed with lupines, asters, and other summertime delights!
    Great Red Paintbrushes on Mount Rainier
  • The red-flowering currant is not only a Pacific Northwest native found from Northern California all the way up to British Columbia, it is also a prized garden and landscaping shrub grown for its brightly colored and scented flowers in early spring. This one was found alongside Deep Lake in Enumclaw, Washington.
    Red-Flowering Currant
  • A red-breasted nutchatch perches in a maple tree on a warm spring Pacific Northwest day in Kent, Washington.
    Red-breasted Nutchatch
  • A red-breasted nutchatch perches in a maple tree on a warm spring Pacific Northwest day in Kent, Washington.
    Red-breasted Nutchatch
  • A red-breasted nutchatch perches in a maple tree on a warm spring Pacific Northwest day in Kent, Washington.
    Red-breasted Nutchatch
  • A red-breasted nutchatch perches in a maple tree on a warm spring Pacific Northwest day in Kent, Washington.
    Red-breasted Nutchatch
  • A red-breasted nutchatch perches in a maple tree on a warm spring Pacific Northwest day in Kent, Washington.
    Red-breasted Nutchatch
  • A male northern red-breasted sapsucker hunts for insects on a maple tree in Kent, Washington on a sunny winter day. This beautiful large woodpecker is found along the Pacific coast of North America from Baja California in Mexico to Alaska.
    Northern Red-breasted Sapsucker
  • A red-shouldered hawk feasts on a panfish caught deep in the Big Cypress National Preserve of Southwest Florida.
    Red-shouldered Hawk
  • A spectacular male red-winged blackbird shows off his shoulder patches in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge on North Florida's Gulf Coast.
    Male Red-Winged Blackbird
  • A red-spotted toad is reflected in a rare pool of water - a leftover from a massive storm that passed through the Moab Desert the night before. The brilliant blue sky reflected beautifully from this angle.
    Red-Spotted Toad
  • A vine maple in gorgeous contrast against a conifer and rocky wall at low elevation on Mount Rainier's northern slope. Nothing like nature photography for color on a rainy, cold, autumn day!
    Autumn Red Vine Maple
  • The official status of the red-headed woodpecker is "near threatened" and their population is in a decline.
    Red-headed Woodpecker
  • A rare close-up of a red-headed woodpecker along the Gulf Coast of North Florida.
    Red-headed Woodpecker
  • A male red-bellied woodpecker looking for insects among the oak trees on North Florida.
    Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • A beautiful red-shouldered hawk perched in a bald cypress tree in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Red-Shouldered Hawk
  • Red-shouldered hawk by the Myakka River in Sarasota County. Florida. I followed this one through a flooded wooded area for some time, until it let me get close enough for this shot.
    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
  • Japanese Maple Leaves on a Black Background
    Red Japanese Maple Leaves
  • Juvenile red-bellied woodpecker resting on a fence post after leaving its nest in a nearby dead palm. These loud woodpeckers are the most commonly seen in South Florida.
    Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • Pale red-shouldered hawk photographed in the late afternoon sunlight at the edge of the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Pale Red-Shouldered Hawk
  • The pyrrhuloxia is a member of the cardinal family that has a range that just reaches into the Unites States in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. It is very similar in appearance to the more common red (or Northern) cardinal, but has an overall gray coloration with a red face (males) and red crest. This beautiful male was found and followed through the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, Arizona on a hot spring morning.
    Pyrrhuloxia
  • The American strawberry bush - also known by many other names such as the "hearts-a-bustin" and "hearts-bustin'-with-love", this member of the bittersweet family is one of those oddly beautiful plants you find sometimes in autumn while out in some of the more remote places in the Untied States. Found in all of the eastern states (excluding New England), most of the lower Midwest states, and as far west as Texas and Oklahoma, it literally looks like a strawberry growing on a shrub that is bursting with bright red seeds exposed within. As with many red-colored fruits in nature, this is best not to be eaten, as it has been reported to induce severe diarrhea in humans. The leaves, bark and stems are enjoyed by deer and other native wildlife who spread the seeds after consumption. This was found in Florida's Ocala National Forest near Juniper Springs.
    American Strawberry Bush
  • The pyrrhuloxia is a member of the cardinal family that has a range that just reaches into the Unites States in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. It is very similar in appearance to the more common red (or Northern) cardinal, but has an overall gray coloration with a red face (males) and red crest. This beautiful male was found and followed through the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, Arizona on a hot spring morning.
    Pyrrhuloxia
  • The pyrrhuloxia is a member of the cardinal family that has a range that just reaches into the Unites States in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. It is very similar in appearance to the more common red (or Northern) cardinal, but has an overall gray coloration with a red face (males) and red crest. This beautiful male was found and followed through the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, Arizona on a hot spring morning.
    Pyrrhuloxia
  • This stunningly red relative of the firefly, the bloody net-winged beetle uses aposematic coloration (warning colors) to its advantage. The bright red and black coloration/pattern is a strong warning to others that might want to eat it that it is toxic to eat and best left alone. This one was photographed just as it landed on a desert shrub below the Chisos Mountains in West Texas, near the Rio Grande River.
    Bloody Net-winged Beetle
  • This incredibly beautiful (and red!) mound or hedgehog cactus is a rather common sight in the Guadalupe Mountains. In several parts of the range I saw dozens if not dozens of dozens all in bloom. That vivid bright red color made them easy to spot from a distance!
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • A group of house finches perches in a frozen bitterbrush bush in Central Washington on a bitterly cold winter morning. The males' bright red breast and eyebrow plumage stand out in wonderful contrast against the white sky.
    House Finches and Hoar Frost
  • A close relative of poison ivy, smooth sumac is a very widespread shrub across nearly all of North America (excluding the Arctic and Maritime provinces of Canada) that grows in a wide variety of habitats. The bright red berries (as seen here) follow nondescript green flowers and are not only edible, but provide a bountiful harvest for all kinds of wildlife. One thing particularly beautiful about this native plant are the alternate compound leaves that turn a bright waxy red in the fall.
    Smooth Sumac Berries
  • This edible and harmless but mostly tasteless pretty bright red fruit with a velvety texture is the end result of a nondescript native forest lily with tiny white flowers after undergoing natural pollination. It can be found in all of the western states (excluding California) and all of the western Canadian provinces including Ontario. This one was found growing next to a small mountain stream in rural Southwestern Montana in Mineral County.
    Rough-fruited Fairybell Berry
  • The rosary pea is an invasive vine from Asia and Australia that has found a home in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas. While these "peas" may be useful in many shaker-percussion instruments, the black and red fruits are highly toxic. One ingested pea had the potential to be fatal to a healthy adult. This cluster of rosary peas was found in a suburban neighborhood in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Rosary Pea
  • The cardinal flower is an extremely beautiful member of the lobelia family native to most of the United States (excluding the Pacific Northwest, the northern Rockies states, and the Dakotas) and Eastern Canada. It is primarily found in somewhat wet soils, near marshes, streams, rivers, floodplains etc. and is such a vibrant red that it is easily spotted from a distance. This particularly large plant stood about five foot tall, and even though I found it growing in a depression of a dried-up creek, it still stood tall in the forest near the Apalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle on a very hot and sweltering summer day.
    Cardinal Flower
  • The cardinal flower is an extremely beautiful member of the lobelia family native to most of the United States (excluding the Pacific Northwest, the northern Rockies states, and the Dakotas) and Eastern Canada. It is primarily found in somewhat wet soils, near marshes, streams, rivers, floodplains etc. and is such a vibrant red that it is easily spotted from a distance. This particularly large plant stood about five foot tall, and even though I found it growing in a depression of a dried-up creek, it still stood tall in the forest near the Apalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle on a very hot and sweltering summer day.
    Cardinal Flower
  • The cardinal flower is an extremely beautiful member of the lobelia family native to most of the United States (excluding the Pacific Northwest, the northern Rockies states, and the Dakotas) and Eastern Canada. It is primarily found in somewhat wet soils, near marshes, streams, rivers, floodplains etc. and is such a vibrant red that it is easily spotted from a distance. This particularly large plant stood about five foot tall, and even though I found it growing in a depression of a dried-up creek, it still stood tall in the forest near the Apalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle on a very hot and sweltering summer day.
    Cardinal Flower
  • Also known as the desert Indian paintbrush, linearleaf Indian paintbrush,  narrow-leaved Indian paintbrush, and Wyoming desert paintbrush, this is one of the tallest of North America's Castilleja species, reaching upward to four feet and sometimes growing in such density that they can appear more like a shrub than the typical, low-growing singular forb wildflower one would expect to see among Indian paintbrushes. These unusually orange (they are usually red) beauties were found blooming in profusion in Utah's Arches National Park.
    Wyoming Indian Paintbrush (Castillej..lia)
  • The American strawberry bush - also known by many other names such as the "hearts-a-bustin" and "hearts-bustin'-with-love", this member of the bittersweet family is one of those oddly beautiful plants you find sometimes in autumn while out in some of the more remote places in the Untied States. Found in all of the eastern states (excluding New England), most of the lower Midwest states, and as far west as Texas and Oklahoma, it literally looks like a strawberry growing on a shrub that is bursting with bright red seeds exposed within. As with many red-colored fruits in nature, this is best not to be eaten, as it has been reported to induce severe diarrhea in humans. The leaves, bark and stems are enjoyed by deer and other native wildlife who spread the seeds after consumption. This was found in Florida's Ocala National Forest near Juniper Springs.
    American Strawberry Bush
  • The American strawberry bush - also known by many other names such as the "hearts-a-bustin" and "hearts-bustin'-with-love", this member of the bittersweet family is one of those oddly beautiful plants you find sometimes in autumn while out in some of the more remote places in the Untied States. Found in all of the eastern states (excluding New England), most of the lower Midwest states, and as far west as Texas and Oklahoma, it literally looks like a strawberry growing on a shrub that is bursting with bright red seeds exposed within. As with many red-colored fruits in nature, this is best not to be eaten, as it has been reported to induce severe diarrhea in humans. The leaves, bark and stems are enjoyed by deer and other native wildlife who spread the seeds after consumption. This was found in Florida's Ocala National Forest near Juniper Springs.
    American Strawberry Bush
  • The American strawberry bush - also known by many other names such as the "hearts-a-bustin" and "hearts-bustin'-with-love", this member of the bittersweet family is one of those oddly beautiful plants you find sometimes in autumn while out in some of the more remote places in the Untied States. Found in all of the eastern states (excluding New England), most of the lower Midwest states, and as far west as Texas and Oklahoma, it literally looks like a strawberry growing on a shrub that is bursting with bright red seeds exposed within. As with many red-colored fruits in nature, this is best not to be eaten, as it has been reported to induce severe diarrhea in humans. The leaves, bark and stems are enjoyed by deer and other native wildlife who spread the seeds after consumption. This was found in Florida's Ocala National Forest near Juniper Springs.
    American Strawberry Bush
  • Easily one of the most beautiful of all of the hardwoods on the Pacific Coast, the Pacific madrone is a member of the heath family and closely related to rhododendrons, and is the most northerly broadleaf evergreen trees on the continent. Early Spanish settlers in California recognized it as similar to the Mediterreanean madrone (or madroño) and later English settlers referred to it as the strawberry tree, as the sweet (and slightly toxic) berries are used to make a "strawberry-tasting" liquor called crême d'arbouse. The most striking feature of this tree is the wonderful bark that looks painted, with hues of red, orange, brown and black. Nothing else in the Pacific Northwest looks anything like it.
    Pacific Madrone Bark
  • Easily one of the most beautiful of all of the hardwoods on the Pacific Coast, the Pacific madrone is a member of the heath family and closely related to rhododendrons, and is the most northerly broadleaf evergreen trees on the continent. Early Spanish settlers in California recognized it as similar to the Mediterreanean madrone (or madroño) and later English settlers referred to it as the strawberry tree, as the sweet (and slightly toxic) berries are used to make a "strawberry-tasting" liquor called crême d'arbouse. The most striking feature of this tree is the wonderful bark that looks painted, with hues of red, orange, brown and black. Nothing else in the Pacific Northwest looks anything like it.
    Pacific Madrone Flowers
  • Easily one of the most beautiful of all of the hardwoods on the Pacific Coast, the Pacific madrone is a member of the heath family and closely related to rhododendrons, and is the most northerly broadleaf evergreen trees on the continent. Early Spanish settlers in California recognized it as similar to the Mediterreanean madrone (or madroño) and later English settlers referred to it as the strawberry tree, as the sweet (and slightly toxic) berries are used to make a "strawberry-tasting" liquor called crême d'arbouse. The most striking feature of this tree is the wonderful bark that looks painted, with hues of red, orange, brown and black. Nothing else in the Pacific Northwest looks anything like it.
    Pacific Madrone Flowers
  • Desert lupine (also known as arroyo lupine or Coulter's lupine) is found across most of Southern Arizona at low elevations under 3000'. This amazing member of the pea family has a cool adaptation to direct bees to the best flowers: once a new flower opens and a bee comes in contact with it while collecting the pollen, the yellow spot turns red, letting any pollinators know that that flower has already been visited. These lupines were found growing on the side of the road outside of Sells, AZ in Pima County.
    Desert Lupine
  • Male coho salmon (also called a silver salmon) spawning in the Greenwater River in Pierce County, Washington far up in the Cascade Mountains. Coho males in this final part of their life cycle have bright red "cheeks" and have tails that are in relatively good shape compared to their female counterparts who often have pure white tails from losing all their scales and even skin from digging out a nest in the gravel to lay their eggs. This one was taking a rest near the shore behind a fallen tree that was creating a sort of calm in the otherwise fast-moving alpine river.
    Spawning Coho Salmon
  • This delicious little wild raspberry is found in most of the western states and in Canada's British Columbia, and if anyone has ever had candy, sno-cones, syrup or any other flavor called "blue raspberry" - this is the berry where that taste was modeled from. Any easy identification tool for this wonderful little fruit is the underside of the leaves, which are white. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest on Washington's Olympic Peninsula within sight of the Hoh River. I've personally found both the red and fully ripe black raspberries to be absolutely delicious!
    Western Black Raspberry
  • This delicious little wild raspberry is found in most of the western states and in Canada's British Columbia, and if anyone has ever had candy, sno-cones, syrup or any other flavor called "blue raspberry" - this is the berry where that taste was modeled from. Any easy identification tool for this wonderful little fruit is the underside of the leaves, which are white. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest on Washington's Olympic Peninsula within sight of the Hoh River. I've personally found both the red and fully ripe black raspberries to be absolutely delicious!
    Western Black Raspberry
  • This delicious little wild raspberry is found in most of the western states and in Canada's British Columbia, and if anyone has ever had candy, sno-cones, syrup or any other flavor called "blue raspberry" - this is the berry where that taste was modeled from. Any easy identification tool for this wonderful little fruit is the underside of the leaves, which are white. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest on Washington's Olympic Peninsula within sight of the Hoh River. I've personally found both the red and fully ripe black raspberries to be absolutely delicious!
    Western Black Raspberry
  • This delicious little wild raspberry is found in most of the western states and in Canada's British Columbia, and if anyone has ever had candy, sno-cones, syrup or any other flavor called "blue raspberry" - this is the berry where that taste was modeled from. Any easy identification tool for this wonderful little fruit is the underside of the leaves, which are white. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest on Washington's Olympic Peninsula within sight of the Hoh River. I've personally found both the red and fully ripe black raspberries to be absolutely delicious!
    Western Black Raspberry
  • This delicious little wild raspberry is found in most of the western states and in Canada's British Columbia, and if anyone has ever had candy, sno-cones, syrup or any other flavor called "blue raspberry" - this is the berry where that taste was modeled from. Any easy identification tool for this wonderful little fruit is the underside of the leaves, which are white. These were found growing in the Hoh Rainforest on Washington's Olympic Peninsula within sight of the Hoh River. I've personally found both the red and fully ripe black raspberries to be absolutely delicious!
    Western Black Raspberry
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in Central New Mexico.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in Central New Mexico.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in Central New Mexico.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in Central New Mexico.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Northwestern Texas.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Northwestern Texas.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Northwestern Texas.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • One of the most striking and beautiful of all the "barrel" cacti of the American Southwestern deserts, the claret cup cactus (also known regionally by many names such as the kingcup, queencup, hedgehog cactus, pitaya roja, etc.) has large, showy and brilliantly red flowers that attract and are pollinated by hummingbirds. Unlike most cacti, the flowers of the claret cup stay open at night. Some native American tribes who shared the same habitat would collect these cacti, burn off the sharp spines, and mash them into a pulp with some locally procured sweetener (honey?) and bake them into mini sweet cakes. This one was found and photographed on a beautiful spring day in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Northwestern Texas.
    Claret Cup Cactus
  • Desert lupine (also known as arroyo lupine or Coulter's lupine) is found across most of Southern Arizona at low elevations under 3000'. This amazing member of the pea family has a cool adaptation to direct bees to the best flowers: once a new flower opens and a bee comes in contact with it while collecting the pollen, the yellow spot turns red, letting any pollinators know that that flower has already been visited. These lupines were found growing on the side of the road outside of Sells, AZ in Pima County.
    Desert Lupine
  • Unmistakable by it's red eye ring and black rings around the face and breast, this killdeer kept trying to get my attention on Bokeelia, Florida - an island on the southwest coast. This is typical behavior when trying to lure potential threats away from it's hidden nest that it builds on the ground.
    Killdeer
  • Wild golden currants vary in taste from plant to plant, much like other berry-producing plants. These currants range from light yellow to orange, red, and even black. Personally I think the orange and red ones are the sweetest, and the yellow ones (those that are fully ripe) are a bit bitter. All of them have large seeds inside, that are easier eaten than spit out. These were photographed (then eaten) in Cowiche Canyon, just to the west of Yakima, WA.
    Golden Currant
  • An unusually bright red salmonberry at peak ripeness grows on the edge of Deep Lake near Enumclaw, WA. These native fruits are extremely common throughout the Pacific Northwest and have been important historically as a food source for thousands of years among the different tribes of Native Americans of the region.
    Salmonberry
  • These beautifully bright red woolly Indian paintbrushes were found growing in the desert at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeastern Arizona near the Mexican border. Easily identified by the short dense hairs on the leaves and stem, this semi-parasitic native wildlflower gains supplimental nutrients from neighboring plants.
    Woolly Indian Paintbrush
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