Leighton Photography & Imaging

  • Home
  • Website
  • About
  • Portfolio
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • How to Download
  • Galleries
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
55 images found
twitterlinkedinfacebook

Loading ()...

  • A young native desert fan palm emerges from the Coachella Valley Oasis in the shade of hundreds of other fan palms that reach nearly 50' high. Thanks to the San Andreas Fault, over which this small oasis lies and takes advantage of the cracks in the earth deep below from which groundwater seeps.
    Desert Fan Palm
  • Located directly over the San Andreas Fault, this wonderful natural oasis in Southern California is an ideal habitat for many of the desert's inhabitants in search of shade, water, and the prey that come here to seek refuge.
    Coachella Valley Oasis
  • View from the ground in the middle of a native stand of desert fan palms in the Coachella Valley of Southern California. These towering trees are the only palms native to the western United States, and are also the largest native palm in the contiguous United States. Virtually unchanged for millennia, these living fossils provide shade from the unrelenting sun for many of the desert inhabitants, as well as the promise of nearby water.
    Coachella Valley Oasis
  • Native desert fan palms photographed from above on a rocky cliff over a natural oasis in Southern California.
    Desert Fan Palms
  • A native of the western side of the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest, Scouler's corydalis is a water-loving spring bloomer that is usually found on the western-sides of mountains where the running water flows down from the melting snow.
    Scouler's Corydalis
  • 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
  • This common but delightful reddish-pink to light bluish-purple member of the poppy family is a sign spring has arrived across most of the Pacific Northwest.
    Western Bleedinghearts
  • Early morning tranquility on the banks of the Santa Fe River in North-Central Florida with red filter applied.
    Santa Fe River
  • Early morning tranquility on the banks of the Santa Fe River in North-Central Florida.
    Santa Fe River
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade flowers here in the Mercer Slough of Bellevue, Washington are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's. The berries were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • The bronzed cutworm moth is an attractive medium-sized moth is common in the Pacific Northwest where it favors cool, wet forests. This one was found at the top of Washington's Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains on a bright, sunny June afternoon.
    Bronzed Cutworm Moth
  • Still a small cluster of Mojave mound cacti, this grey-green species of barrel cactus with their distinctive dusty pink spines normally is found in clumps of 20-40 stems. Also known as a cottontop cactus (you can see what appears to be a ball of cotton at the top of each one), in June or July in the hottest part of the desert summer, a bright yellow blossom will flower. These were found and photographed while I was searching for some shade in the Mojave desert.
    Mojave Mound Cactus
  • Unique underwing view of a red admiral butterfly feeding on what looks like sap a damaged shrub stem. Although the upper-side (top of the wings) is brightly-colored you can see how expertly camouflaged it is with its wings folded while resting in the shade. This one was found next to a pond near Alamo, Texas on a bright warm sunny winter day.
    Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
  • As the vastness of the open Canadian prairies butt into the Rocky Mountains, vastly different habitats converge, resulting in an enormous amount of variety in both flora and fauna. Weather patterns are disrupted when open plains meet up with towering rocky towers of rock, which means more rainfall, resulting in mountain erosion giving minerals, shade and shelter that promotes the growth of thick rich forests that teem with wildlife. Such a place is seen here in Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta, Canada on a spectacular summer sunset over a marsh.
    Where the Canadian Prairies Meet the..kies
  • These native beauties are very common in the springtime in the Pacific Northwest and can be found in California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia anywhere with moist soil and lots of shade. One interesting feature of the Pacific bleeding heart is how it is spread. The one to two inch pod contains large black seeds with a bit of white fat attached to each one. Ants love this fat, and carry the seeds away. When the seed is discarded, it has a chance to grow in a new location! These were found growing in an old coniferous forest near Deep Lake in Enumclaw, Washington.
    Pacific Bleeding Hearts
  • This delicate little pteridophyte desert fern was found growing from the shade under a massive pile of boulders in the Chihuahuan Desert at the far eastern limit of its range near the Texas-Chihuahua border just south of El Paso in the Quitman Mountains. It is most often found on cliffs and shady overhangs throughout most of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico.
    Spiny Cliffbrake
  • It might be strange to think that you can find wild ferns growing out in the desert, but there are in fact many types of ferns found out in the driest of habitats. This beautiful star cloak fern photographed in the Quitman Mountains of West Texas has recently had access to water (via rain). In times of drought and extreme heat, these leaves will curl up and the plant will become dormant until it rains again. Somewhat common throughout the Chihuahuan Desert of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, they are most often found under the north side of rocks and boulders where they can get the most shade and moisture.
    Star Cloak Fern
  • This delicate little pteridophyte desert fern was found growing from the shade under a massive pile of boulders in the Chihuahuan Desert at the far eastern limit of its range near the Texas-Chihuahua border just south of El Paso in the Quitman Mountains. It is most often found on cliffs and shady overhangs throughout most of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico.
    Spiny Cliffbrake
  • The infamous and rare, bleached earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata ruthveni) - a lizard with an evolutionary adaptation to living on the white gypsum sand dunes on White Sands (the largest gypsum sand dune desert in the world) found resting in the shade of an enormous dune late in the morning of a bright and sunny spring day.
    Bleached Earless Lizard
  • A purple pitcher plant in flower in a bog in Liberty County, Florida. This petite carnivorous plant tends to be a bright red color when growing in the open where it is exposed to more sunlight, as compared to those that grow in the shade.
    Parrot Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia psi..ina)
  • This stunning large native hibiscus can be found in many of the wetlands that offer deep shade and fluctuating water levels seasonally that vary from standing water to dry.
    Scarlet Rosemallow
  • Unique underwing view of a red admiral butterfly feeding on what looks like sap a damaged shrub stem. Although the upper-side (top of the wings) is brightly-colored you can see how expertly camouflaged it is with its wings folded while resting in the shade. This one was found next to a pond near Alamo, Texas on a bright warm sunny winter day.
    Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
  • The Texas indigo snake is currently considered a subspecies of the Eastern or Florida indigo snake and is found in Texas and down deep into Mexico. This beautiful specimen was found resting in a Christmas cactus where it had plenty of shade from the Texas summer sun in the very southern tip of the Lone Star State.
    Texas Indigo Snake
  • These native beauties are very common in the springtime in the Pacific Northwest and can be found in California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia anywhere with moist soil and lots of shade. One interesting feature of the Pacific bleeding heart is how it is spread. The one to two inch pod contains large black seeds with a bit of white fat attached to each one. Ants love this fat, and carry the seeds away. When the seed is discarded, it has a chance to grow in a new location! These were found growing in an old coniferous forest near Deep Lake in Enumclaw, Washington.
    Pacific Bleeding Hearts
  • A male house finch rests in the welcome shade of a soaptree yucca in the bright morning sun in Southern New Mexico's White Sands desert. This native to the American Southwest and Mexico has recently been expanding into the Eastern United States and Hawaii.
    House Finch
  • The infamous and rare, bleached earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata ruthveni) - a lizard with an evolutionary adaptation to living on the white gypsum sand dunes on White Sands (the largest gypsum sand dune desert in the world) found resting in the shade of an enormous dune late in the morning of a bright and sunny spring day.
    Bleached Earless Lizard
  • The highland dog hobble is a member of the heather family found across many parts of the American Southeast, and is associated with mountain streams where there is deep shade and somewhat acidic soils, such as this one growing next to a waterfall in northern South Carolina. The flowers are very similar to that of its close relative - the blueberry.
    Highland Dog Hobble
  • This extremely rare lily found in North Florida near Chattahoochee is rarely found south of North Georgia, as their population has receded to the Appalachian Mountains regions to the north over the millennia. As climate slowly changes, so does soil composition, water availability, the overhead tree canopy species that provide the shade necessary for trout lilies, and general climate as a whole.
    Dimpled Trout Lily
  • One of the most common on all springtime terrestial orchids in Florida - the grass leaved ladies'-tresses can be found on roadsides, lawns, ditches - both in shade and open places.
    Grass-leaved Ladies'-tresses (Spiran..lis)
  • Close-up of a cluster of yellow helmet orchid flowers in an isolated pond in Collier County, Florida. These orchids are usually found in wetlands with lots of shade.
    Yellow Helmet Orchid (Polystachya co..eta)
  • Spectacular specimen of yellow helmet orchid in an isolated pond in Collier County, Florida. These orchids are usually found in wetlands with lots of shade.
    Yellow Helmet Orchid (Polystachya co..eta)
  • This large shade-loving epiphytic fern is native to the tropical eastern coasts of the Americas and the Caribbean Islands. Going by a variety of common names such as golden polypody, golden serpent fern, cabbage palm fern, gold-foot fern, blue-star fern, hare-foot fern and rabbit's foot fern Phlebodium aureum is commonly grown as a houseplant. This one was found growing at the base of a bald cypress tree deep in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida's Collier County between Naples and Fort Myers.
    Golden Polypody
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • A busy  female mallard takes a break from showing her eight bundled ducklings how to find and eat peamouth minnow eggs from a shaded tiny creek in Bellevue, Washington on a warm spring afternoon.
    Mallard Family
  • 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
  • High on the plateau north of Moab, Utah, this extremely feisty and aggressive little Beck's desert scorpion was found under a shaded rock on a hot summer day at the far northeastern end of its range. I had to consult a professional arachnologist for the correct ID of this species as far too many of these small desert species look very similar.
    Beck's Desert Scorpion (Paruroctonus..cki)
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • My favorite palm! The paurotis palm is a wonderfully beautiful palm that I have a personal connection to. As I was starting to build my photography business back when I was still living back home in Southwest Florida, I worked in a plant nursery and planted many hundreds of palm trees all over the Fort Myers/Naples area. My favorite was this slender, attractive Caribbean palm found in the wild from the Florida Everglades and the Bahamas, south to Mexico, Central America and as far south as Colombia. The only species in its genus, Acoelorrhaphe wrightii - grows to about 15' to 25' tall in wet habitats and can grow into very rich and shaded thickets form wildlife havens for many species throughout the tropics. These wild paurotis palms were found in Everglades National Park in their natural habitat.
    Paurotis Palm
  • 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
  • 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
  • It's been discoved that these highly-dense covering of pale spines not only deter animals from eating it, but also reflect heat, keeping the cactus cool and shaded at the same time.
    Teddybear Cholla