Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • A sudden storm comes and goes in a flash in Southwest Florida’s Fakahatchee Strand leaving behind a beautiful rainbow over the palms, sawgrass, alligators and legions of nesting birds on a cool sunny autumn day.
    Rainbow over the Fakahatchee Strand
  • In the dry season, water normally knee to waist high is completely absent in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida.
    Fakahatchee Strand
  • Ghost orchid habitat in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida.
    Ghost Orchid Habitat in the Fakahatc..rand
  • Barred owl perched on a branch in the Fakahatchee Strand. This owl let us get quite close to it for this photograph!
    Fakahatchee Barred Owl
  • A salt marsh skipper feeding on beggarticks (a type of wild aster)  in the southern part of the Fakahatchee Strand where fresh and saltwater meet.
    Salt Marsh Skipper (Panoquina panoquin)
  • Barred owl perched on a branch in the Fakahatchee Strand. This owl let us get quite close to it for this photograph!
    Fakahatchee Barred Owl
  • In some parts of the Fakahatchee Strand in the northwestern Florida Everglades, it is very common to wade into areas heavily populated with alligators - especially if there are floating logs with sunshine for them to bask in. I managed to get quite close to this one. While alert, it stayed calm as long as I moved slowly and stayed low in the water with it.
    Juvenile Alligator
  • 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
  • Swamp mallows are a very common member of the hibiscus family in the Everglades, as seen here in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Swamp Mallow
  • White-tailed buck photographed in the Fakahatchee Strand. These are often seen here and other places in and around the Everglades.
    White-tailed Deer
  • White-tailed buck photographed in the Fakahatchee Strand. These are often seen here and other places in and around the Everglades.
    White-tailed Deer
  • A sabatia flower in bloom in one of the deepest and darkest parts of the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida.
    Sabatia
  • A sabatia flower in bloom in one of the deepest and darkest parts of the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida.
    Sabatia
  • Vanilla orchid photographed in the early morning in the Fakahatchee Strand. Timing is important here because the flowers last only a couple of hours and wilt by midday.
    Oblong-leaved Vanilla Orchid (Vanill..tha)
  • Close-up showing the amazing detail in this fantastic orchid. This photo was taken in a tree in the Fakahatchee Strand. Sometimes climbing is necessary to get close to these beauties!
    Night-Fragrant Epidendrum (Epidendru..num)
  • Pine-pink orchid growing out of a floating log deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. They are almost always seen in large colonies and are truly one of the most beautiful terrestrial swamp orchids that can be found in southern Florida.
    Pine-Pink (Bletia purpurea)
  • 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 beautiful and tiny red-waisted moth feeding on wildflower nectar in the Fakahatchee Strand. This daytime moth is very common in the middle of summer in South Florida.
    Red-Waisted Moth
  • A juvenile grey squirrel cautiously watches from the safety of height and distance in a tree in the Fakahatchee Strand - part of the Northern Everglades near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile Grey Squirrel
  • An adult barred owl watches from the hardwoods at the northern end of the Fakahatchee Strand early in the morning in Southwest Florida near Golden Gate.
    Fakahatchee Barred Owl
  • A southeastern lubber grasshopper in the Fakahatchee Strand (in the northwestern part of the Florida Everglades) does what grasshoppers do best - eat vegetation!
    Southeastern Lubber Grasshopper
  • Close-up of a wild coco growing in the Fakahatchee Strand. These large flowers can vary in color and shape from one plant to another.
    Wild Coco Orchid (Eulophia alta)
  • The terrestrial cowhorn orchid found growing in the Fakahatchee Strand - in full flower weeks before it was stolen from the wild. This is why I no longer tell anyone where the rare orchids are - this happens all too often! They are too hard to find, and very disheartening when they are taken - usually to die in some orchid enthusiast's collection because it has been shocked by its removal from the conditions in which it grew from seed.
    Yellow Cowhorn Orchid (Cyrtopodium p..lum)
  • Yellow cowhorn orchid found in the Fakahatchee Strand by another orchid enthusiast, and he told me where to find it. This plant was stolen from the wild a couple of weeks later by some lowlife.
    Yellow Cowhorn Orchid (Cyrtopodium p..lum)
  • Dawn in the Big Cypress National Preserve in the Gator Hook Strand.
    Big Cypress Sunrise
  • Huge fishing spider carefully photographed in the Fakahatchee Strand. These guys can get aggressive and do bite hard!
    Fishing Spider
  • A banded watersnake resting on a submerged log in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Banded Watersnake
  • A slug found on the side of a moss and lichen covered tree in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Fakahatchee Slug
  • Ribbon orchid growing on the side of a tree deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. Without leaves to help spot it, this orchid is nearly invisible until it blooms. This one is just starting to bloom.
    Ribbon Orchid (Campylocentrum pachyr..zum)
  • A ghost orchid high in a pop ash tree in a secret location in Collier County. It's good to know that they do in fact grow quite well outside of the Fakahatchee Strand and the Corkscrew Swamp!
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • A ghost orchid high in a pop ash tree in a secret location in Collier County. It's good to know that they do in fact grow quite well outside of the Fakahatchee Strand and the Corkscrew Swamp!
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • Ghost orchid in the early morning, catching a rare sunbeam in the deepest part of the Fakahatchee Strand. Truly one of the most beautiful and exotic orchids in the world.
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • Ghost orchid photographed on a steamy hot summer morning in the Fakahatchee Strand. Split-toned sepia for an antiqued look.
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • Vanilla "beans" in the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida. Very similar yet not quite the same as commercial vanilla beans which come from another vanilla orchid - Vanilla planifolia. They do however have a strong vanilla scent when the seedpods are fully developed.
    Oblong-leaved Vanilla Orchid "Beans"..tha)
  • 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)
  • The rare and exquisite ghost orchid photographed just after dawn in its natural environment.
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • A very healthy example of a toothpetal orchid growing along a tram road in the Fakahatchee Strand. I can't think of a tram road in Southwest Florida where I haven't seen these orchids in late fall to late winter.
    Toothpetal Orchid (Habenaria floribunda)
  • Fully open flower deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. As common as these are, getting a clear and close-up shot of an open flower can be a challenge.
    Zig-Zag Orchid (Epidendrum rigidum)
  • This is a common orchid in the Fakahatchee Strand during the hottest part of summer, and so far I have not seen it anywhere else but here. It is easily spotted by its large lettuce-like leaves growing from any submerged log or cypress stump.
    Tall Twayblade Orchid (Liparis nervosa)
  • Pine-pink orchid growing in the Fakahatchee Strand. This springtime bloomer is most often found in wet areas - often rooted in floating logs or old wood. I have also found them growing in sandy marl, so habitats can vary.
    Pine-Pink (Bletia purpurea)
  • Tall twayblade orchid found in the wettest part of the Fakahatchee Strand. In the hottest and most miserable part of summer, these beauties can be found quite easily!
    Tall Twayblade Orchid (Liparis nervosa)
  • White pine-pink orchid growing in a large colony in the Fakahatchee Strand in Collier County, Florida.
    White Pine-Pink (Bletia purpurea for..lba)
  • This is a particularly large Florida adder's mouth orchid found in the Fakahatchee Strand - about 12 inches high. Generally they are in the 4 to 8-inch range.
    Florida Adder's-Mouth (Malaxis spicata)
  • Close-up of the tiny unusual flowers of the Florida Adder's Mouth orchid in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Florida Adder's-Mouth (Malaxis spicata)
  • Bromeliads are as common as orchids in the Fakahatchee Strand in Collier County, Florida. These huge West Indian tufted airplants have literally covered this pond apple tree.
    West Indian Tufted Airplants (Guzman..hia)
  • Also known as the hoary airplant, this rare bromeliad is infrequently seen in the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida, as this one was.
    Fuzzywuzzy Airplant (Tillandsia prui..osa)
  • A beautiful red-shouldered hawk perched in a bald cypress tree in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Red-Shouldered Hawk
  • A squirrel treefrog (individuals can change their color from green to brown based on their environment) found among the cypress knees in the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida. These frogs are most active at night.
    Squirrel Treefrog
  • A green treefrog waits for night in the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida.
    Green Treefrog
  • The unique buttonbush is a common small tree growing in the Everglades. This one was seen in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Buttonbush
  • Ribbon orchid growing on the side of a tree deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. Without leaves to help spot it, this orchid is nearly invisible until it blooms.
    Ribbon Orchid (Campylocentrum pachyr..zum)
  • Ghost orchid photographed on a steamy hot summer morning in the Fakahatchee Strand. Not particularly hard to find once you know how to find them, they can be as invisible as ghosts to most people! At last count I'm up to 86 ghost orchids in various locations.
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • Close-up of a freshly opened flower in the Fakahatchee Strand. This is probably the most common of all the orchids here, often found high in the trees in enormous clumps.
    Zig-Zag Orchid (Epidendrum rigidum)
  • A healthy cluster of tall twayblade orchids in bloom in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Tall Twayblade Orchid (Liparis nervosa)
  • Close-up of the unusual tall twayblade - photographed here in knee deep water in a wet dark part of the Fakahatchee Strand.  Since it was growing on a cypress knee, it was very easy to photograph at waist level.
    Tall Twayblade Orchid (Liparis nervosa)
  • Part of a large colony of white pine-pink orchids growing in the Fakahatchee Strand. A curiosty about these is that the white form seems to bloom a month after the usual pink form, and on drier ground.
    White Pine-Pink (Bletia purpurea for..lba)
  • Florida adder's-mouth found growing deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. If one can find perpetually damp or wet logs in the Fall, then there are sure to be some of these tiny orchids around!
    Florida Adder's-Mouth (Malaxis spicata)
  • Florida adder's-mouth found growing deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. Occasionally I'll find a single plant, but more often these are found in massive colonies of up to 50 or more plants.
    Florida Adder's-Mouth (Malaxis spicata)
  • Gray hairstreak in the Fakahatchee Strand in the middle of summer. Roadside wildflowers attract thousands of these little butterflies every morning!
    Gray Hairstreak
  • Pale red-shouldered hawk photographed in the late afternoon sunlight at the edge of the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Pale Red-Shouldered Hawk
  • Considered an invasive species in North America, the Peruvian primrose-willow was introduced into the Sunshine State and many other places around the world for its beautiful yellow four-petalled flowers. These days it is a serious problem due to how fast this tall very bush grows and how easily it spreads, outcompeting coastal native plant species in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Texas Gulf Coast. This one was photographed in the Fakahatchee Strand in Collier County, Florida.
    Peruvian Primrose-Willow
  • A juvenile cottonmouth warming up in the morning sun on a dirt road near the Corkscrew Swamp in Naples, Florida.
    A Flick of the Tongue
  • A juvenile cottonmouth warming up in the morning sun on a dirt road near the Corkscrew Swamp in Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile Cottonmouth
  • Close-up side view of one of the world's most famous orchids!
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • The rare and exquisite ghost orchid photographed just after dawn in its natural environment.
    Ghost of the Fakahatchee (Dendrophyl..nii)
  • Largest of the native epidendrums, this orchid is very frustrating to photograph, because it seems that the only ones that are found low enough to shoot easily wilt before opening.
    Night-Fragrant Epidendrum (Epidendru..num)
  • The night-fragrant orchid is easy to find, just due to its huge size. It is not uncommon to find these plants reaching two or three feet from the tree it is attached to.
    Night-Fragrant Epidendrum (Epidendru..num)
  • This unusual orchid has a very large flower that is almost impossible to find fully open. It has a scent emitted only at night and is always found in the thickest parts of the swamps. Some tree climbing and a big zoom lens were used for this shot.
    Night-Fragrant Epidendrum (Epidendru..num)
  • A pair of baby gray squirrels peeks from their nest in the Florida Everglades. Gray squirrels are perhaps the most adaptable and hardy of all modern squirrel species, and can thrive in the most diverse kinds of habitat. Not only increasing their range in North America, but are beginning to spread into other continents too, wiping out or displacing native populations.
    Baby Eastern Gray Squirrels
  • This aquatic is very commonly seen in the Florida Everglades. This one was photographed while I was stalking a hawk. I saw this from the corner of my eye and took this shot.
    Banded Watersnake
  • Ghost orchid in full flower on a drab stalk growing from a tangle of green-gray roots. See how the flower just seems to float in mid air?
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • A rare sight! A pair of ghost orchids from a single plant, high in a pop ash tree in a secret location in Collier County, Florida.
    Double Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax li..nii)
  • Close-up of toothpetal flowers deep in the Big Cypress National Preserve. Oftentimes, it is the fragrance that is noticed before the plant is actually found, as in the case here.
    Toothpetal Orchid (Habenaria floribunda)
  • This unusual orchid has a very large flower that is almost impossible to find fully open. It has a scent emitted only at night and is always found in the thickest parts of the swamps.
    Night-Fragrant Epidendrum (Epidendru..num)
  • 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)
  • Yellow cowhorn orchid photographed in the pre-dawn in South Florida with a ring-flash. Hopefully this one will be safe from poachers!
    Yellow Cowhorn Orchid (Cyrtopodium p..lum)
  • Close-up of the non-venomous banded watersnake - often confused with the venomous cottonmouth. Unfortunately many of these beautiful snakes are killed for this confusion and misidentification.
    Banded Watersnake
  • High contrast photograph of dewdrops sparkling on a spiderweb at dawn in the Florida Everglades.
    Spider Web
  • This large showy sabatia is commonly found in freshwater wetlands in South Florida, such as this one in the Big Cypress National Preserve.
    Bartram's Rosegentian
  • The world-famous ghost orchid photographed here in its natural environment.
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • A very rare sight!!! Although the ghost orchid is known as a "leafless orchid" - when it is just sprouting its recognizable  and distinct roots on its host tree, there is a tiny vestigial leaf - an evolutionary throwback to an earlier ancestor.
    Ghost Orchid Seedling (Dendrophylax ..nii)
  • Side view of the ghost orchid. The five to six inch spur is a long hollow tube that contains the nectar which draws the giant silk moth. This unique moth has a six inch tongue that while reaching the bottom of the spur to feed, some pollen from the flower's anther will stick to the head of the moth, and then get transfered to the next ghost orchid it feeds on. While visiting several flowers during the course of a night - it unknowingly pollinates these flowers to produce the next generation of ghosts. Without this special moth, we would have no ghost orchids.
    Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
  • A rare sight! A pair of ghost orchids from a single plant! Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii)
    Double Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax li..nii)
  • Raceme close-up showing details of the flowers of the toothpetal orchid - one of the most common terrestrial orchids in the southen half of Florida.
    Toothpetal Orchid (Habenaria floribunda)
  • This massive toothpetal is the biggest I've ever seen, and it stood about fifty inches tall. Incredible!
    Toothpetal Orchid (Habenaria floribunda)
  • Clear view of the rigid epidendrum putting out a new flower spike. The alternate bud pattern gives rise to its other common name, the "zigzag" orchid.
    Zig-Zag Orchid (Epidendrum rigidum)
  • Ideal habitat for the night-fragrant orchid ... thick dark swamp, heavy vegetation, lots of mosquitoes, snakes, and alligators... not to mention the menacing deer flies!
    Night-Fragrant Epidendrum (Epidendru..num)
  • A perfect pair of this distant relative of the pineapple growing in a hardwood hammock in Southwest Florida.
    Fuzzywuzzy Airplant (Tillandsia prui..osa)
  • This member of the Amanita mushroom family was found growing in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida's Western Everglades. This emerging American Caesar's mushroom is a rare exception to a family of lethally poisonous mushrooms that are responsible for 90% of mushroom-related deaths around the world. This one is known to be be both edible and tasty.
    American Caesar's Mushroom
  • The bright yellowish-green patch on the cypress trunk consists of Chrysothrix candelaris, a species of crustose lichen. The greyish-white lichen is Cryptothecia evergladensis, a different type of crutose lichen. This tree with both species is growing in the Fakahatchee Strand of the Northwestern Everglades.
    Two Lichens
  • The beautiful and possibly ominous scarlet waxy cap mushroom unexpectedly found while hunting orchids in Florida's Fakahatchee Strand in the Western Everglades.
    Scarlet Waxy Cap
  • This member of the Amanita mushroom family was found growing in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida's Western Everglades. This emerging American Caesar's mushroom is a rare exception to a family of lethally poisonous mushrooms that are responsible for 90% of mushroom-related deaths around the world. This one is known to be be both edible and tasty.
    American Caesar's Mushroom
  • Close-up detail of a ghost orchid bud at night in the Fakahatchee Strand! Probably not recommended for the bravest of orchid hunters, the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida is an especially busy time at night! This bud opened a few days later.
    Ghost Orchid Bud
  • Ghost orchid bud at night in the Fakahatchee Strand! Probably not recommended for the bravest of orchid hunters, the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida is an especially busy time at night! This bud opened a few days later.
    Ghost Orchid with Flower Bud
  • 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
  • Ghost orchid bud I was monitoring over the space of a couple of weeks deep in the Fakahatcheee Strand. Luckily they are hard to find and grow in often difficult-to-access areas. Out of the 88+ individuals I've found over the years, many of them have been stolen by orchid poachers.
    Ghost Orchid with Bud
  • Brilliantly red and yellow, the inflorescences of most species of Tillandsia air plants are very striking and beautiful, such as this cardinal airplant in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida. Before long, thin, tubular purple flowers will emerge from this member of the pineapple family.
    Cardinal Airplant
  • Close-up of the inflorescence of the cardinal airplant, photographed here deep in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida. You can just see a few of the purple flowers emerging.
    Cardinal Airplant (Tillandsia fascic..ata)
  • Unusual angle of a wild blooming ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) photographed from behind the flower on Florida's Fakahatchee Strand on a steamy hot summer morning.
    Ghost Orchid Photographed from an Un..e #1
  • American Alligator in the Sweetwater Strand area of the Florida Everglades. This was taken in the beginning of mating season, when they tend to get a little aggressive.
    American Alligator
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