Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • A fisherman casts his line on a sunny cold morning on the White River just outside of Aspen, Colorado.
    Colorado Fly Fisherman
  • A woman fishes the flats on Big Hickory Pass on Bonita Beach in Southwest Florida.
    Fisherwoman with Spinning Rod
  • Standing snow in the North Cascades on a chilly August late afternoon at the tree line, where thick forest opens into subalpine meadow. In most of Washington's mountain ranges, standing snow is common year-round.
    North Cascades National Park
  • Very early on a chilly fall morning, just before sunrise on the Olympic Peninsula's Rialto Beach on Washington's Pacific Coast. Stands of dead sitka spruce trees line the shore (standing and fallen or washed ashore) on one of North America's most spectacular remote beaches.
    Rialto Beach at Dawn
  • The Rio Grande ground squirrel is a somewhat newly named species that was once thought to be a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel, until DNA sequencing showed that it belonged to a completely different genus. Native to South and West Texas, Southeastern New Mexico and much of Northeastern Mexico south of the Rio Grande, this handsome little squirrel is often found standing tall on its back legs as it surveys its surroundings, keeping an eye out for predators. At the first sign of trouble, it is ready to dive down into one of its many burrows at the first sign of trouble. This one was found on the side of an irrigation canal in McAllen, Texas.
    Rio Grande Ground Squirrel
  • The purple-petal bog orchid (also known as the short-spurred bog orchid - a better name!) is another one of those difficult to ID members of the Platanthera family of bog orchids that not only look very similar to other species, they also hybridize to make identification even more confusing and difficult. Even the common name is misleading as the flowers are actually dark green, but some of them can develop a faintly reddish to purplish coloration. The most important keys to identifying this species are the width of the base of the lip, the short length of the spur and thick, blunt and wildly-positioned leaves. This one was part of a small colony found growing in standing water at about 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains at Independence Pass, just east of Aspen, Colorado.
    Purple Petal Bog Orchid (Platanthera..ens)
  • The purple-petal bog orchid (also known as the short-spurred bog orchid - a better name!) is another one of those difficult to ID members of the Platanthera family of bog orchids that not only look very similar to other species, they also hybridize to make identification even more confusing and difficult. Even the common name is misleading as the flowers are actually dark green, but some of them can develop a faintly reddish to purplish coloration. The most important keys to identifying this species are the width of the base of the lip, the short length of the spur and thick, blunt and wildly-positioned leaves. This one was part of a small colony found growing in standing water at about 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains at Independence Pass, just east of Aspen, Colorado.
    Purple Petal Bog Orchid (Platanthera..ens)
  • The purple-petal bog orchid (also known as the short-spurred bog orchid - a better name!) is another one of those difficult to ID members of the Platanthera family of bog orchids that not only look very similar to other species, they also hybridize to make identification even more confusing and difficult. Even the common name is misleading as the flowers are actually dark green, but some of them can develop a faintly reddish to purplish coloration. The most important keys to identifying this species are the width of the base of the lip, the short length of the spur and thick, blunt and wildly-positioned leaves. This one was part of a small colony found growing in standing water at about 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains at Independence Pass, just east of Aspen, Colorado.
    Purple Petal Bog Orchid (Platanthera..ens)
  • Primarily a western spring bloomer, the seep-spring monkeyflower, like other monkeyflowers, is often found very close to water or actually growing in standing water. It can be found in most western states and provinces and can be found sporadically in such eastern states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and even Maine! These were found growing on the damp Pacific Northwest cliffs on Fidalgo Island in Washington State.
    Seep-spring Monkeyflower
  • An unusually short yet still flowering spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Standing at 7,325 ft, Casa Grande (Spanish for "Big House") is the fourth highest peak in Texas' Chisos Mountains and is found in the heart of Big Bend National Park.
    Casa Grande in the High Chisos Mountains
  • A pair of baby Great Egrets standing on a branch with their nest deep in a Florida swamp.
    Baby Great Egrets with Nest
  • Swamp lilies growing deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. In the summertime, these can be found just about anywhere there is standing water in the Florida Everglades.
    Swamp Lilies
  • This incredibly ornate wildflower grows in standing water in the wetlands of the Apalachicola National Forest in winter. Not the most comfortable subject to photograph , I must say!
    Grass-of-Parnassus
  • 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
  • Skyflowers found growing in standing water in CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in Collier County, Florida.
    Skyflowers
  • This unusual orchid has a very large flower that is almost impossible to find fully open. This one was photographed while standing on a big floating log in waist deep water while shooting handheld with a 300mm zoom lens. Risky for the camera and somehow in focus!
    Night-Fragrant Epidendrum (Epidendru..num)
  • This big leafy orchid is easily recognized by its foliage, and is often found above standing water in pond apple trees. I had to climb high in a tree for this one in the Fakahatchee Strand. Nothing like that "golden hour" late afternoon sunlight!
    Dingy-Flowered Star Orchid (Epidendr..mum)
  • 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)
  • The Rio Grande ground squirrel is a somewhat newly named species that was once thought to be a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel, until DNA sequencing showed that it belonged to a completely different genus. Native to South and West Texas, Southeastern New Mexico and much of Northeastern Mexico south of the Rio Grande, this handsome little squirrel is often found standing tall on its back legs as it surveys its surroundings, keeping an eye out for predators. At the first sign of trouble, it is ready to dive down into one of its many burrows at the first sign of trouble. This one was found on the side of an irrigation canal in McAllen, Texas.
    Rio Grande Ground Squirrel
  • The Rio Grande ground squirrel is a somewhat newly named species that was once thought to be a subspecies of the Mexican ground squirrel, until DNA sequencing showed that it belonged to a completely different genus. Native to South and West Texas, Southeastern New Mexico and much of Northeastern Mexico south of the Rio Grande, this handsome little squirrel is often found standing tall on its back legs as it surveys its surroundings, keeping an eye out for predators. At the first sign of trouble, it is ready to dive down into one of its many burrows at the first sign of trouble. This one was found on the side of an irrigation canal in McAllen, Texas.
    Rio Grande Ground Squirrel
  • A common wetland plant in Florida, Alabama and Louisiana, the alligator flag (also known as bent alligator-flag or arrowroot) has large lance-shaped leaves and can grow in standing freshwater to a height of six to ten feet! This one was blooming out of season (usually May through July) in late November in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida.
    Alligator Flag Flower
  • The purple-petal bog orchid (also known as the short-spurred bog orchid - a better name!) is another one of those difficult to ID members of the Platanthera family of bog orchids that not only look very similar to other species, they also hybridize to make identification even more confusing and difficult. Even the common name is misleading as the flowers are actually dark green, but some of them can develop a faintly reddish to purplish coloration. The most important keys to identifying this species are the width of the base of the lip, the short length of the spur and thick, blunt and wildly-positioned leaves. This one was part of a small colony found growing in standing water at about 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains at Independence Pass, just east of Aspen, Colorado.
    Purple Petal Bog Orchid (Platanthera..ens)
  • The purple-petal bog orchid (also known as the short-spurred bog orchid - a better name!) is another one of those difficult to ID members of the Platanthera family of bog orchids that not only look very similar to other species, they also hybridize to make identification even more confusing and difficult. Even the common name is misleading as the flowers are actually dark green, but some of them can develop a faintly reddish to purplish coloration. The most important keys to identifying this species are the width of the base of the lip, the short length of the spur and thick, blunt and wildly-positioned leaves. This one was part of a small colony found growing in standing water at about 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains at Independence Pass, just east of Aspen, Colorado.
    Purple Petal Bog Orchid (Platanthera..ens)
  • The purple-petal bog orchid (also known as the short-spurred bog orchid - a better name!) is another one of those difficult to ID members of the Platanthera family of bog orchids that not only look very similar to other species, they also hybridize to make identification even more confusing and difficult. Even the common name is misleading as the flowers are actually dark green, but some of them can develop a faintly reddish to purplish coloration. The most important keys to identifying this species are the width of the base of the lip, the short length of the spur and thick, blunt and wildly-positioned leaves. This one was part of a small colony found growing in standing water at about 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains at Independence Pass, just east of Aspen, Colorado.
    Purple Petal Bog Orchid (Platanthera..ens)
  • The purple-petal bog orchid (also known as the short-spurred bog orchid - a better name!) is another one of those difficult to ID members of the Platanthera family of bog orchids that not only look very similar to other species, they also hybridize to make identification even more confusing and difficult. Even the common name is misleading as the flowers are actually dark green, but some of them can develop a faintly reddish to purplish coloration. The most important keys to identifying this species are the width of the base of the lip, the short length of the spur and thick, blunt and wildly-positioned leaves. This one was part of a small colony found growing in standing water at about 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains at Independence Pass, just east of Aspen, Colorado.
    Purple Petal Bog Orchid (Platanthera..ens)
  • The purple-petal bog orchid (also known as the short-spurred bog orchid - a better name!) is another one of those difficult to ID members of the Platanthera family of bog orchids that not only look very similar to other species, they also hybridize to make identification even more confusing and difficult. Even the common name is misleading as the flowers are actually dark green, but some of them can develop a faintly reddish to purplish coloration. The most important keys to identifying this species are the width of the base of the lip, the short length of the spur and thick, blunt and wildly-positioned leaves. This one was part of a small colony found growing in standing water at about 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains at Independence Pass, just east of Aspen, Colorado.
    Purple Petal Bog Orchid (Platanthera..ens)
  • The purple-petal bog orchid (also known as the short-spurred bog orchid - a better name!) is another one of those difficult to ID members of the Platanthera family of bog orchids that not only look very similar to other species, they also hybridize to make identification even more confusing and difficult. Even the common name is misleading as the flowers are actually dark green, but some of them can develop a faintly reddish to purplish coloration. The most important keys to identifying this species are the width of the base of the lip, the short length of the spur and thick, blunt and wildly-positioned leaves. This one was part of a small colony found growing in standing water at about 12,000 feet in elevation in the Rocky Mountains at Independence Pass, just east of Aspen, Colorado.
    Purple Petal Bog Orchid (Platanthera..ens)
  • Primarily a western spring bloomer, the seep-spring monkeyflower, like other monkeyflowers, is often found very close to water or actually growing in standing water. It can be found in most western states and provinces and can be found sporadically in such eastern states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and even Maine! These were found growing on the damp Pacific Northwest cliffs on Fidalgo Island in Washington State.
    Seep-spring Monkeyflower
  • A trio of spotted coralroot orchids growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Successfully pollinated and fruiting seedpods of the nearly impossible-to-find and leafless ribbon orchid. Not only is this orchid extremely rare in the United States, it is only found in one tiny pocket of one remote part of the Northwestern Florida Everglades known as the Fakahatchee Strand, which is its northernmost range This one was photographed deep in the Strand while standing about waist-deep in the black, slowly-moving waters deep in the shadows of ancient bald cypress trees. Luckily, it can also be found in parts of the Caribbean islands, Central America, and even in some parts of Northern South America.
    Ribbon Orchid Seedpods
  • Standing in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Seal Rock is a favorite resting place for various species of seals, sea lions and seabirds on the on the Makah Indian Reservation near the Northwestern tip of Washington State.
    Seal Rock
  • This gorgeous polypore mushroom was found growing in a very remote wetland location in northern Collier County, Florida on a pond apple tree in standing water. The key for identification for Ganoderma curtisii is the usual, long purple stalk on which it is attached to the tree. This mushroom is inedible, although some claim it has some medicinal use.
    Ganoderma curtisii
  • This glacier lily was part of a rather large, loose colony I stumbled into by accident in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. As I got out of the truck to take a picture of the roadside sign letting me know I was standing on the Continental Divide, patches of yellow stood out in bright contrast in the pines nearby. The sign let me know I was at exactly 7988 feet above sea level.
    Glacier Lily
  • A pair of baby Great Egrets standing on a branch with their nest deep in a Florida swamp.
    Great White Egret Chicks
  • The rare reddish egret standing on a branch in a backwater estuary on Sanibel Island.
    Reddish Egret
  • Vanilla orchid photographed in the early morning in the Fakahatchee Strand. Well worth the hike through standing water and swarms of mosquitoes!
    Oblong-leaved Vanilla Orchid (Vanill..tha)
  • Pine-pink orchid growing out of a floating log deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. I've noticed that the ones that grow in standing water seem to bloom first, followed by those on dry land a couple of weeks later.
    Pine-Pink (Bletia purpurea)
  • The tiny and beautifully detailed cassius blue in close-up. These fast fliers are very difficult to catch standing still.
    Cassius Blue
  • A pair of baby wood storks with parent standing on a branch with their nest deep in a Florida swamp.
    Baby Wood Storks with Nest
  • A favorite food source for hummingbirds in the Sonoran Desert, Parry's penstemon (also known as Parry's beardtongue) is a vibrantly pink to fuchsia hardy wildflower found natively in Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. These tough plants can stand the heat of the desert and the heavy spring rainfalls typical of our southwestern deserts and are only bested by prolonged drought. These were among about a dozen beautiful tall blooming examples found growing in the hills of rural Santa Cruz County in southern Arizona.
    Parry's Penstemon
  • A favorite food source for hummingbirds in the Sonoran Desert, Parry's penstemon (also known as Parry's beardtongue) is a vibrantly pink to fuchsia hardy wildflower found natively in Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. These tough plants can stand the heat of the desert and the heavy spring rainfalls typical of our southwestern deserts and are only bested by prolonged drought. These were among about a dozen beautiful tall blooming examples found growing in the hills of rural Santa Cruz County in southern Arizona.
    Parry's Penstemon
  • Skeletal remains of a long-dead buckhorn cholla cactus still stand in the Sonoran Desert in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Saguaro cacti stand tall as sunset fades in the Puerto Blanco Mountains in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument along the US-Mexico border in Arizona. Truly one of my favorite places in the Sonoran Desert.
    Sunset in the Puerto Blanco Mountains
  • There is nothing like the California Coastline. That was evident here as I climbed high atop the cliffs in the Del Norte Redwoods State Park on a windy, hazy November afternoon. It just takes your breath away to stand in this spot in person!
    Del Norte Coast, Northern California
  • The violet-green swallow is a jewel when it comes to the birds found in the Pacific Northwest. Intensely green and purple plumage stand out in sharp contrast to the snow-white breast, cheeks, flanks and belly. Unfortunately it was early morning here and I wasn't able to get a shot of the feathers in the sunlight.
    Violet-Green Swallow
  • I thought this was worth taking the photograph. Western trilliums are a delight to every hiker in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. They bloom early in the spring, they stand out in sharp white contrast to the dark and evergreen enormity of the deep woods, and after fading to pink or purple before eventually withering up, they are often forgotten. Pictured here is the pollinated seedpod of the trillium, which is done by solely by ants.
    Western White Trillium Seedpod
  • A pair of yellow glacier lilies bloom inder a stand of ponderosa pines in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park.
    Glacier Lily
  • A stand of coconut palms grow on the beach on Estero Island in Southeast Florida.
    Coconut Palms
  • Deep into the Hoh Rain Forest, ancient trees - Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, western hemlock, bigleaf maple, red alder and western red cedar stand tall and solemn. Many of them 500 years old or more!
    Hoh Rain Forest
  • 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
  • Non-descriptive flowers are uncommon in nature. Green, barely-pink, or just brown, they stand out in the Valley of Fire in Southern Nevada. This plant contains a remarkable amount of tannins and has been used in making leather products.
    Canaigre Dock
  • These absolutely beautiful springtime evening primroses stand out in sharp contrast against the red sands of Nevada's Valley of Fire, just east of Las Vegas.
    Dune Evening Primrose
  • A common club lichen, the Lipstick Cladonia is named after the bright red apothecia or fruiting bodies that make this silvery-gray lichen stand out. Found usually on conifers and decaying trees, this one was photographed on the banks of the South Fork Snoqualmie River.
    Lipstick Cladonia
  • The brilliant and fuzzy leafless beaked orchid growing in Charlotte County, Florida in a stand of young pine trees. We found an unbelievable number of these all over Southwest Florida this spring and summer. They seem to be thriving in this drought!
    Leafless Beaked Orchid (Sacoila lanc..ata)
  • When traveling through the Apalachicola National Forest in Liberty County, Florida, yellow pitcher plants stand in groves in the seepage bogs along several of the roads.
    Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava)
  • A catbird! These are so frustratingly difficult to photograph, that I gave up years ago trying to get one. This one popped up right in front of me as I was walking through a stand of palmettos.
    Catbird
  • This stunning woodpecker was drilling a series of holes in a stand of slash pines in Wakulla County, Florida.
    Red-headed Woodpecker
  • A massive specimen of the Chapman's fringed orchid in the Apalachicola National Forest growing next to a small water pool in the edge of a pine stand. These are quite difficult to find, and I've only found them in two locations so far. Luckily you can see the bright orange from a long distance!
    Chapman's Fringed Orchid (Plantanthe..nii)
  • 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
  • This perfect specimen of a turkey-tail mushroom stands out beautifully against the wet green moss on a cold and damp Pacific Northwest winter day next to Soos Creek in Kent, Washington.
    Turkey-Tail (Trametes versicolor)
  • Oregon's North Falls as viewed from within the huge cavern carved out behind the waterfall over many thousands of years. This huge waterfall and a very memorable part of North Silver Creek was formed from 15-16 million-year-old volcanic bedrock (basalt) which has been withstanding the millions of years of water and weather erosion while the surrounding sandstone (once part of the Oregon coastline) which is very slowly wearing away. As it stands now, the waterfall drops 136 and continues downstream through a series of other spectacular waterfalls. The huge cavern behind the falls reaches back about 100 feet, has a ceiling that ranges from 20 to 75 feet high and is (in my estimation) about 800-900 feet wide. Very impressive, to say the least!
    Looking Out from Behind the Waterfall
  • Iconic symbol of the Sonoran Desert and the American Southwest, this saguaro cactus stands tall among the many thousands of others in Southern Arizona near the Mexican border below the Puerto Blanco Mountains.
    Saguaro Cactus and the Puerto Blanco..ains
  • A bombardier beetle (a type of darkling beetle) stands out in extreme contrast against the sand dunes of White Sands National Monument in Southern New Mexico, a wild landscape of gypsum sands piled into massive sand dunes.
    Bombardier Beetle
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • An American pika stands guard over its rocky scree near Lake Mowich on Mount Rainier. Like most of these rabbit-relatives, pikas send out a loud, barking warning to let others know that a potential threat has wandered into their territory.
    American Pika
  • An American pika stands its post on a rock-covered hillside near Cascade Pass in Northern Washington's North Cascades National Park at about 4000 feet in elevation.
    American Pika
  • A bull elk stands alone among a herd of other males in Central Oregon.
    Bull Elk
  • A great egret stands on the edge of a brackish pond at dawn on a chilly winter morning in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
    Great Egret
  • A bald cypress tree stands in the normally wet Big Cypress National Preserve in Southwest Florida during the dry season. This image was photographed in infrared.
    Bald Cypress in Infrared
  • El Capitan in West Texas' Guadalupe Mountains (100 miles east of El Paso) is the world's premier example of an exposed fossil reef from the Permian Era, dated at about 260 million years old - much older than the golden age of dinosaurs. This whole part of Texas back in this time was once covered in a shallow sea that geologists call the Delaware Sea, in a time when all of Earth's continents were still joined into one supercontinent that we call Pangaea. The entire top of El Capitan is made of limestone formed from the fossilized remains of aquatic plant and animal remains such as corals, algae, shellfish and plankton, and now stands at just above 8000 feet above sea level. The base is formed by layer upon layer of sand laid down over millions of years, in the manner you would expect from the ocean floor resulting in a very typical sedimentary rock formation,  further eroded by millions of years of desert heat, rain, abrasion and wind.
    El Capitan, West Texas
  • Iconic symbol of the Sonoran Desert and the American Southwest, this saguaro cactus stands tall among the many thousands of others in Southern Arizona near the Mexican border below the Puerto Blanco Mountains.
    Saguaro Cactus
  • A lone, wind-beaten creosote bush stands solidly at the beginning of a sandstorm in White Sands National Monument in Southern New Mexico.
    Creosote Bush
  • A herd of Rocky Mountain elk rest in the sagebrush desert on a sunny winter day east of Mount Rainier near the Tieton River in  Washington State. The large antlered bull stands guard as his harem of females relax and get some rest.
    Rocky Mountain Elk - Bull and Harem
  • A yellow-bellied marmot stands guard on its rock in a field near Aspen, Colorado in the White River National Forest. The shrill whistle they send out as an intruder warning to other nearby marmots in the area is why these relatives of ground squirrels are often called whistle pigs.
    Yellow-Bellied Marmot
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • Snail Rock with a lone bald eagle perched on top on the Makah Indian Reservation near Neah Bay, Washington. This huge rock stands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca which separates Washington State from British Columbia, Canada (which you can clearly see in the background). When the tide is lower, more exposed rock on either side of it (where the surf is) makes it look like a giant snail!
    Snail Rock
  • A lone palm stands of a gorgeous deserted beach on Florida's St. Joseph Peninsula on the northern Gulf Coast.
    Cabbage Palm on St. Joseph Peninsula
  • A great blue heron in winter plumage stands on one leg over a pond in Washington's Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, waiting out the rain on a very chilly morning.
    Great Blue Heron
  • A female sooty grouse hen stands out on a rocky outcrop on Mount Rainier on a sunny day at the snow line.
    Female Sooty Grouse
  • This particular beauty stands out to me for its simple symmetry. Most Spiranthes orchids have flowers that spiral around the stalk (or spike) but this one carries its flowers in three almost vertical columns, with a slight spiral.
    Southern Oval Ladies'-Tresses (Spira..lis)
  • As in many other instances in the natural world, brilliant red coloring stands as a warning to those looking for an easy meal. When the flowers of the coral bean are pollinated, the resulting seedpods contain a number of bright red seeds that are high in alkaloids - toxic to both humans and wildlife and known to cause paralysis when ingested.
    Coral Bean